‘Deaths of needless poverty and despair’: homelessness report reveals surge in fatalities in Australia

Analysis reveals a 63% rise in the annual death toll of those accessing homelessness services from 2012 to 2022. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

Almost 1,500 people are dying in homelessness every year, with new research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showing a 63% surge in preventable deaths.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare today released an analysis of a decade of data, showing 12,500 people who had accessed homelessness services died over the 10-year period to 2022.