Australian Homelessness Monitor is a series of national studies commissioned by Launch Housing to provide an overview analysis which highlights homelessness as a critical social problem, drawing links to labour market and housing market trends, and to social security and affordable housing policy developments.

The AHM model emulates the UK Homelessness Monitor project, as funded by CRISIS UK and led by Heriot-Watt University. Along with Heriot Watt’s Prof Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Prof Hal Pawson was a co-founder of UKHM in 2010. UKHM reports have proven highly successful in drawing UK policymaker and media attention to the damaging homelessness consequences of ‘welfare reform’ and parallel policy developments in housing and other related realms.

As a follow-up to our AHM 2018 and AHM 2020 reports, AHM 2022 is once again led by City Futures in collaboration with Prof Cameron Parsell at the University of Queensland. Also contributing to the research this year are Dr Andrew Clarke (UNSW School of Social Sciences, and CFRC Fellow), and Chris Hartley (UNSW Centre for Social Impact).

Consistent with the established model, AHM 2022 covers homelessness in all its forms, but this time with a specific focus on homelessness services experiences during the post-2020 part of the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when Australia’s rental market has subject to overheating.

Research methods include:

Secondary data analysis drawing on sources including AIHW Specialist Homelessness Services statistics, and rental housing market data

Primary research – key stakeholder interviews (government and NGO players) to identify recent homelessness policy and practice developments, and to explore perceived factors influencing recent changes in the scale and nature of homelessness in Australia

Primary research – an online survey of specialist homelessness service agencies to probe similar issues to those outlined above.

For further information about the project, please contact Professor Hal Pawson.