Why "Unhoused" Matters: Language, Policy, and Dignity

As senior homelessness continues to rise, the need for innovative, compassionate care models has never been greater. This is where PACE shines—meeting complex medical, behavioral, and social needs through a person-centered, team-based approach. Expanding access to homeless seniors isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s exactly what PACE was designed for: keeping vulnerable elders safe, supported, and connected to community. #PACE #ElderCare #Homelessness #ValueBasedCare

Seattle is taking bold action to address homelessness, with plans to build more than 100 new tiny homes across two new villages. The project, led by the Low Income Housing Institute in partnership with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, will create a 44-home community in Olympic Hills and another 60-home village closer to downtown. Lisa Edge of the Regional Homelessness Authority calls the initiative “a win,” noting that having a private, secure space helps residents stabilize and focus on their next steps. Residents will be referred by the Unified Care Team, whose outreach has already contributed to an 80% reduction in tent encampments from 2022 to 2024. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell reaffirmed the city’s commitment to “invest in proven solutions” that help people transition from encampments to permanent housing. Low Income Housing Institute CEO Sharon Lee emphasized the efficiency of this approach, explaining that a tiny home village can be built in just four months—far faster and cheaper than traditional housing developments. She also hopes to expand with six more villages in neighborhoods like Chinatown, Little Saigon, and downtown. With these new sites opening this fall, hundreds of people will have the chance to trade cold, wet tents for heated, lockable homes—offering not just shelter, but dignity and hope. Original contributor Kamrin Baker. https://lnkd.in/er7N6nyM

To start National Homelessness Week, Q Shelter CEO Fiona Caniglia has shared reflections on some of the key projects Q Shelter is working on as part of the wider sector's vast scope of work. Fiona has emphasised how our individual efforts contribute to the bigger picture and collective goal of ending homelessness. "We have only just emerged from the Queensland State Budget process and acknowledge the new levels of investment and a pipeline of funding going beyond the forward estimates. There is also additional assistance to manage the current critical shortage of permanent homes. "At Q Shelter, we work across both system capacity and policy advocacy, including: 🏠Progressing our second displacement monitoring report to understand the impacts of Brisbane 2032 🏠Developing a wider housing market report as part of evaluating our own strategic plan and impact as a peak body 🏠Contributing ideas and solutions for a community housing roadmap 🏠Regional capacity building to improve service and system integration 🏠Developing micro-credentials to support onboarding of new sector staff 🏠A rolling training program with a range of affordable options to support and develop the workforce 🏠A weekly touch point and reset to support front-line staff and managers' wellbeing as they cope with the impacts of demand for services 🏠Workforce wellbeing, attraction and retention programs WellNow and HomeNow 🏠Standing engagements such as the Regional Representatives Forum and CEO and Leaders' Forum, as a mandate for our policy and advocacy work 🏠Working with Queenslanders with Disability Network and others to progress a roadmap for reforms in residential services delivery 🏠Preparing a submission to the Productivity Commission Interim Report defending the Liveable Design Standards 🏠Participation in the Queensland Preventative Peaks Alliance to achieve genuine prevention embedded across all responses to complex needs and vulnerability 🏠Participation in the Homelessness Ministerial Advisory Council initiated by Sam O'Connor MP "This week I look forward to participating in The Lady Musgrave Trust event exploring solutions to the needs of women experiencing homelessness. Q Shelter is holding further discussions on how to progress genuine prevention as we consider the needs of children and young people with the goal of generational change. "I know many of our members and stakeholders will be involved in events this week, which is an opportunity to connect, confirm our commitment and draw inspiration and encouragement from one another. "I also know that our most real and impactful contributions come from the work we do every day, sustaining our efforts on front-line responses and strategic objectives in the realm of policy. "Keep going and stay connected, remembering you are part of a bigger-picture effort to drive real change." - Fiona Caniglia, Q Shelter CEO. Homelessness Australia #HW2025 #HomelessnessWeek #HomelessnessActionNow #HomeMatters ...

For thousands of older Australians, homelessness isn’t a one-night ordeal — it’s simply Tuesday. Last week, during my morning commute, I heard a radio segment about The Forgotten Women’s Live Like Her Challenge, inviting people to sleep in their cars for one night to better understand what many older women face every night. Big kudos to the initiative, whose clients average 71 years old, though most are women aged 55+ navigating homelessness while remaining invisible to the public. While homelessness among Australians aged 65+ has risen by 31% between 2018 and 2024, making it the fastest-growing segment, 60% of the 280,000 people supported by homelessness services in 2023–24 were women. Of these, 15,600 were aged 55+, slightly outnumbering men in the same age bracket. Men’s visibility in public spaces leads to the perception that they experience homelessness more than women. However, this overlooks hidden homelessness affecting both genders. Many men stay in boarding houses, overcrowded dwellings or couch surfing, while older women often take refuge in cars, sheds or near CCTV for safety. Official figures show about 19,300 Australians aged 55+ face homelessness each night, but it excludes the ‘hidden homeless’ - those trapped in abusive relationships, unsafe arrangements or extended hospital stays with nowhere safe for discharge. This visibility gap means homelessness among older people, especially women, remains largely unseen and underestimated. The Salvation Army supported nearly 40,000 homeless Australians in 2024, with 90% unable to afford basic living costs. Many pensioners spend over 60% of their pensions on rent alone, with stories like that of an 80-year-old who told Anglicare she felt ashamed for having only a glass of milk for dinner to cover rent and bills. I say shame belongs with a system that leaves older people in this position. Sadly, the transition from NDIS to My Aged Care, ageism and scarce accessible housing compound these struggles. International data shows a worrying trajectory that Australia is likely to follow. The UK’s 2023 Rough Sleeping Snapshot counted 3,000–4,000 rough sleepers nightly, with those 65+ representing just 2–4%, likely undercounted due to safety concerns keeping older people from street counts. The US Point-in-Time Count recorded 76,000 homeless Americans aged 62+, including 25,000 rough sleepers aged 65+. Harvard researchers project these numbers could triple by 2030. International trends make me wonder if our current crisis-riddled systems are prepared for what’s coming. By 2035, Australia’s population aged 65–85 will double and those aged 85+ will quadruple. Health spending for older Australians is expected to exceed $270 billion even if per-person costs stay the same. With retirees living an average 16 years post-retirement, housing, healthcare, aged care, disability sectors, including community groups need integrated approaches to support this cohort falling through every institutional gaps.

I’m excited to share Collaborative Housing Solutions for Homeless Veterans – Empowered by AI, a compelling guidebook by Yvette Jones‑Swanson that offers practical, step‑by‑step strategies for real impact. This resource is important because it: • Equips case managers, social workers, and Realtors with actionable frameworks to collaborate seamlessly with landlords, property managers, and other stakeholders—so veterans gain access to stable housing faster. • Amplifies AI insights to streamline outreach, match veterans with available properties, and close housing gaps more efficiently. • Bridges silos—connecting the dots between service professionals and the housing ecosystem to deliver housing solutions with dignity and speed. Beyond its content, the timing couldn’t be more urgent. Despite an alarming overall surge in unsheltered homelessness in the U.S., veteran homelessness is declining, thanks in part to collaborative housing initiatives like HUD‑VASH. In 2024, homelessness among veterans fell to approximately 32,882, an 8% reduction from the prior year. Nearly 90,000 veteran households were connected to stable rental homes, and 47,925 veterans secured permanent housing. This book is a call to action: to accelerate what’s working, to make intelligent use of data and human-centered collaboration, and to help veterans reclaim their homes and lives. Call to Action: 👉 Grab your copy of the book today and explore how AI-enabled partnerships can transform veteran housing outcomes. 👉 If you work in case management, real estate, or veteran services—let’s connect and put these insights into action together.

Deakin University and our HOME Strategic Research and Innovation Centre are deeply grateful to philanthropic partners, Give Where You Live Foundation, The Anthony Costa Foundation, Geelong Community Foundation, Geelong Connected Communities and the City of Greater Geelong, whose support has helped bring the critical issue of the rising number of people experiencing homelessness across the Geelong community to light. The findings of the HOME Truths research report will directly inform the City’s re-established Homeless Working Group, an example of philanthropy influencing change and shaping a stronger, more inclusive future for the Geelong Region. Philanthropic partners play a vital role in driving research that addresses society’s most pressing challenges, empowering researchers to generate new knowledge, inform policy, and create real-world change that benefits communities locally and globally.

Thousands of Australian children are homeless without a parent or guardian and hundreds have taken their own lives despite being known to specialist homelessness services. New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has for the first time revealed the scale of children experiencing homelessness alone, with the statistics showing one child known to homelessness services dies, on average, every week. Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin said the report showed 13,300 unaccompanied children aged 12-17 sought out specialist homelessness services in 2023-24. Ms Colvin said of those children, 2443 were aged 12-14 and 96 percent were alone, with 3 in 4 unaccompanied children, who were homeless when support started were still homeless when support ended in 2023-24. “It’s unthinkable that children are homeless and alone, and services don’t have the resources to meet their needs,” she said. Ms Colvin said in a separate AIHW report, new data also revealed alarming statistics about death rates among children who had been in contact with specialist homelessness services over the last decade to 2023. She said 520 children who had been in contact with a specialist homelessness service died in the decade 2012/13 to 2023/24, accounting for 1 in 13 of all child deaths over that period, with suicide the leading cause of death for children aged 12-17, who had been in contact with a homeless service. “Most children who are homeless without a parent or guardian are fleeing homes where they have experienced violence, abandonment or neglect,” she said. “For younger children who come to homelessness services alone, this means helping to resolve family issues so they can return home or identifying an appropriate alternative guardian, and for older children often means ongoing support in safe, age appropriate housing if a return home is not safe.” Melbourne City Mission spokesperson and Home Time founder Shorna Moore said the frontline service was seeing more children turning up traumatised and alone in desperate need of help to escape homelessness. “We see how a child’s trauma is exacerbated when services can’t provide the care, and a pathway to a safe home that they need, and sadly children are dying as a result. It is horrifying that over the past 10 years, a child known to homelessness services has died on average every week,” Ms Moore said. “These statistics are gut-wrenching, and should make decision makers sit up, and invest in dedicated support and housing for children so no child is trapped in homelessness,” she said. Read the full story and suggested actions ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gYDuCpat #homelessness Free access to all Newsreel stories #nopaywall

David Wooldridge, the 500th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, wants Australia to become the first country in the world to end homelessness. David’s not-for-profit organisation, the Tiny Homes Foundation, plans to get people off the streets by building tens of thousands of homes on both public and private land. For public projects, councils need to provide public land at nominal rent. For private projects, homeowners need to consent to the erection of a dwelling in their backyard. Under one model, the Tiny Homes Foundation would incentivise homeowners by building the home for them in exchange for 10 years of free rent. The Tiny Homes Foundation – which David had been running as a side project until recently retiring from full-time work – has already built some dwellings. To roll out housing on a large scale, two key things need to fall into place. First, David needs to secure the funding. Second, local and state governments need to become more flexible with their planning and zoning laws, to allow for the construction of tiny homes. Before founding the Tiny Homes Foundation in 2016, David spent time speaking to people who were homeless – partly to provide them with emotional support and partly to learn about the issues they were dealing with. That gave David the idea to raise money to build a community refuge – but after researching overseas initiatives David concluded that an even better solution would be to give people their own homes. David believes in the ‘housing first’ model – instead of expecting homeless people to address personal issues before giving them access to social housing, you give them a home so they have the stability and security they need to address those issues. David says that model is not only more compassionate, it also produces better results at a lower cost over the long term. For David, homelessness isn’t a complex puzzle – it’s a straightforward challenge of building enough homes and the infrastructure to support them. The real obstacle, he argues, is not knowledge or technology but political and public will. And that will is hampered by the fact that so much homelessness is hidden: in spare rooms, on couches and in parked cars, far from public view. Eliminating homelessness might sound utopian, but David is convinced it’s within reach. The resources, knowledge and models already exist – all that’s missing is the collective resolve to act. David has laid out a bold vision and is committed to turning that vision into reality. #networking #relationships #housing *** Follow the #500lunches hashtag to read about all 500 of my lunches ***

My thoughts are painfully with people experiencing homelessness or housing precarity today. Over recent months we have seen relatively quieter move on actions in the Brisbane and Moreton Bay council areas (amongst others). Our local narratives have claimed that suitable alternative housing has been offered but we know that housing in Australia is broadly insufficient and unaffordable. As Jesse says, "housing works", along with suitable, but optional, supports. The USA's leadership is modelling how to respond to issues of mass inequality with violence. Australia's leaders have an opportunity to model a different response - one that is more effective and humane rather than just less loud. Housing works. Listening and responding to lived/living experiences works. Community collaboration works.

Matt Aronson ’s long-standing vision to provide direct, flexible support to young adults experiencing homelessness has become reality with the launch of Boston’s new BAY-CASH pilot program. The initiative will give 15 young adults, ages 18 to 24, $1,200 each month for two years, plus a one-time $3,000 for critical expenses like a security deposit or urgent repairs. Alongside the cash, participants will receive two and a half years of optional supportive services such as financial coaching and a dedicated navigator to help them access resources. For Deandre, one of the participants, the program means more than financial stability—it’s a chance to rebuild. He plans to use the funds for food, clothing, rent, and eventually a car, all while keeping his dream of becoming an architect alive. His optimism mirrors BAY-CASH’s belief that young people know best how to meet their needs, and that financial flexibility can be a key to breaking cycles of housing insecurity. While only 15 young adults are starting in this pilot, Aronson sees it as a stepping stone toward broader adoption across Massachusetts. Privately funded, with support from the city of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, BAY-CASH aims to prove that guaranteed income is not just possible, but powerful in preventing homelessness. As Deandre put it, programs like this are about ensuring “the next person doesn’t have to experience what you’ve had to experience” and working together to eradicate homelessness entirely. Original author Kamrin Baker https://lnkd.in/eFEDVwbR