Series - Editorial Fellowship: digital transformation and technology for social impact

Are homelessness prevention schemes actually working? To find out, we need more person-specific data, experts say

Author Sharlene Gandhi
Despite the federal government spending $4.5 billion on six different housing programs, the Auditor General has found that there is insufficient data to conclude that these programs are reducing chronic homelessness

Why It Matters

Data can give shelters greater transparency on who is using their services, but there is still a severe lack of information about some of the reasons that people become homeless in the first instance. That means that at present, data is mainly helping the sector ‘react’ to those experiencing homelessness, rather than actively moving to prevent it.


(Photo: elxeneize/Envanto)

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The federal government has a goal of reducing chronic homelessness by 50 per cent by the 2027 – 2028 fiscal year — but they don’t know whether they’re making progress. 

There is a severe lack of data on how much progress has been made in achieving that target so far, and how housing-related funding h

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