Homelessness: Closer to Home Than You Might Think

Over one million Australians (7% of those living in private dwellings) had experienced homelessness at some time in the previous 10 years. They tend to be younger (aged under 34), less educated and living with a disability or long-term illness. Even after finding permanent housing, these people tend to face financial difficulties, such as not being able to pay for basic utilities like gas and electricity (38%) in comparison to those who had never been homeless (10%). They also faced food insecurity (11%) at 11 times the rate of those who had never experienced homelessness (1%).

Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics: http://buff.ly/1qZj76Z Image: http://buff.ly/1qZj770 #socialscience #communitywork #socialwork