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Chapter 3. Homelessness in NSW

For me, homelessness is when your family and friends can’t be sure where to find you. Destitute homelessness is when nobody goes looking for you.¹

Homeless people in NSW are not a single homogenous group. They include men, women, young people and children, living in a variety of circumstances in locations across NSW. Individual characteristics, circumstances and location can all impact on the range of legal issues homeless people face, the barriers to addressing these legal issues and the pathways for providing legal information and assistance to this diverse group of disadvantaged people. Therefore, an overview of the main characteristics of the NSW homeless population is appropriate. This chapter discusses:

• how many people are experiencing various forms of homelessness in NSW
• the geographic distribution of homelessness
• the demographic and other characteristics of homeless people
• common pathways into homelessness.

Data sources used in this chapter were detailed in Chapter 2.