Homeless Australians are dying at age 44 on average in hidden crisis

Dulcie Nannup, an Indigenous woman who became homeless in Perth in 2020, says ‘it’s unsafe to be homeless’. Photograph: David Dare Parker/The Guardian

Hundreds of Australians experiencing homelessness are dying more than 30 years prematurely in a nationwide crisis fuelled by despair, critical housing shortages, a breakdown in health provision, violence on the streets and failures of the justice system.

A 12-month Guardian Australia investigation identifying and examining more than 600 cases has found people experiencing homelessness are dying at an average age of 44, a shocking life expectancy gap that experts say is worse than any other disadvantaged group in the country.