New report links being homeless to dying 40 years early

A landmark report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare looked at the deaths of those seeking help from specialist homelessness services in their last year of life between 2012-2022.

The sheer number of deaths – around 12,500 over the ten-year period – is staggering, as is the upward increase over time. But so are the disparities.

The average age of death for the general population in Australia is 83. That’s more than three decades longer than the homeless population in this data – they average just 46 years.

And the main causes of death – suicide and accidental poisoning (including by drug overdoses) – show the issue goes beyond housing. It is about the opportunities for hope and good health many Australians take for granted.