Every year, thousands of people across Australia seek help from homelessness services—only to be turned away. Thousands more will call homelessness helplines but their calls won’t even get through to an operator. Not because their needs aren't real, but because the services they turn to are underfunded and overwhelmed.

At the Common Good Party, we believe this is a national crisis that demands urgent, coordinated, and compassionate action delivered in a fiscally responsible way. This article will highlight what homelessness groups are calling for, what the major parties are offering and what the Common Good Party would put forward to address this issue. 

Public Support, But Not Yet Public Policy

Polling shows most Australians support increased investment in homelessness services. The public understands what the data confirms: this issue isn't going away on its own. Rates of homelessness have now outstripped pre-pandemic levels. Despite widespread support for action, homelessness services remain stretched thin. To turn the tide, Homelessness Australia—the country’s peak body for homelessness advocacy—has outlined clear priorities: prevention, early intervention, rapid rehousing, and upscaling successful models for groups with complex needs.

Prevention and Early Intervention

Homelessness is preventable in up to 80% of at-risk cases that could be stopped before they become crises—with the right support at the right time. That includes financial assistance, mental health support, domestic violence responses, and secure tenancies.

Rapid Rehousing

For people already experiencing homelessness, rapid rehousing is critical. Proposed solutions by homelessness groups include an “escaping homelessness” welfare payment to help people transition quickly into secure housing. They also advocate for an expansion of models like Housing First, which provides permanent housing for those with complex issues who may otherwise face chronic homelessness.

Affordable Housing

The housing market is a key driver of homelessness. With skyrocketing rents and a lack of low-cost options, too many Australians are just one crisis away from losing their home. Homelessness advocates are calling for 10% of all housing stock to be low-cost or social housing (currently 4.6% of housing is social housing), alongside an increase in rent assistance to reduce pressure on the most vulnerable households.

What Are the Parties Offering?

Liberal Party

• Expanding youth mental health services
  
  
• Grants for emergency accommodation refurbishments
  
  
• Emergency housing for women and children escaping domestic violence
  
  
• Increase housing construction, although there is no specific target for increasing social housing
  
  

These are welcome but modest commitments, focused mostly on emergency responses, with limited vision for prevention or long-term housing.

Labor Party

• $1 billion for transitional and crisis housing
  
  
• $6 billion for social housing
  
  
• $500 million for homelessness services
  
  
• $100 million Homelessness Innovation Fund
  
  
• $120 million for localised responses
  
  
• Funding for mental health and youth care centres
  
  
• $6.2 million for advocacy groups
  
  

While Labor’s commitments are significantly larger and more comprehensive than the Coalition’s, homelessness organisations say prevention has not been prioritised, and more could be done for priority groups such as youth and First Nations people.

Greens

• Mandate 30% public housing in all new developments
  
  
• Fully funded wraparound support services
  
  
• $5.2 billion commitment including:
  
  
  • 50,000 supported tenancies
    
    
  • 40 supportive accommodation centres
    
    
  • Doubled funding for homelessness services and public housing
    
    

The Greens’ platform represents a highly ambitious investment in public and supported housing.

Family First

• No detailed policy commitments
  
  
• Support in principle for strong welfare safety nets
  
  
• Proposed communal shelters for rough sleepers
  
  

While showing moral support, the party lacks actionable plans to address homelessness in a systematic way.

Our Position: Common Sense for the Common Good

At the Common Good Party, we believe addressing homelessness is a moral imperative and a policy priority. The cost of homelessness is huge: in terms of human dignity, social stigma and adverse health outcomes. 

From the start the Common Good has had a strong commitment to liveable incomes, effective welfare systems, affordable housing and evidence-based approaches to domestic violence and poverty. Our current crisis needs a long-term and substantial financial commitment to those in our community doing it the toughest, that encompasses prevention and intervention. 

What could this policy look like in practical measures? Here is a breakdown of potential actions.

Housing focused

• Increase public housing levels and adequately maintain current public housing stock
• Firstly, increase housing supply to help stem exorbitant rent rises
• Emergency housing available for all victims of domestic violence. Are there other demographics who might need emergency housing too? Perhaps relational breakdown that doesn’t involve violence?

Income based

• Liveable incomes. Someone on a full-time income should be able to rent a reasonable distance from their work, even if in a sharehouse.
• Reform Jobseeker: rates need to realistically help people day to day and pathways to employment can be improved

Health based

• Improve access to mental health and drug and alcohol services
• Promote healthy relationships in all policies to address relationship breakdown as a cause of homelessness

Specific Groups

• Holistic and evidence-based services to help those sleeping rough
• Particular funding for groups more at risk of homelessness including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, youth and older people

What do you think are the priority actions to address homelessness?

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