Capital Cities Homelessness Index

A spotlight to create change

Launch Housing has developed the Capital Cities Homelessness Index to inspire advocacy and action to end homelessness.
Homelessness has been on the rise for over a decade. This is true not only in Australia, but across many OECD countries.

Ongoing cost of living pressures, along with a shortage of safe social and affordable housing, have pushed people into homelessness. Every city has approached the issue differently, implementing policies and practices other cities can learn from over time.

No city can trial everything. So by working together and sharing what we know works, we all have a better chance at implementing policies and practices that will help shift the dial to provide all people with housing.

Together we can end homelessness.

What is the Capital Cities Homelessness Index?

To understand how well different cities are doing in tackling homelessness, this index includes two distinct measures of homelessness – rates of total homelessness and rates of rough sleeping – and two key drivers of homelessness – social housing and low-income households in rental stress.

The Final City Rank was developed by calculating ratings for each city across these four domains and then ranking the total ratings for each city.

Total Homelessness

The rate of homelessness, per 100,000 people.

Rough Sleeping

The rate of rough sleepers, per 100,000 people.

Social Housing Dwellings

Social housing dwellings as a percentage of total dwellings in the city.

Color image depicting the rear view of a mid adult woman sitting on the edge of her hotel room bed.

Rental Stress

Percentage of low-income households in rental stress.

Final City Rank

Dublin is ranked in 1st place

Ireland’s Government is committed to ending homelessness, including rough sleeping, but despite past policies and initiatives, homelessness continued to worsen. In 2021, the Government introduced Ireland’s first housing legislation, the Affordable Housing Act 2021. Its housing plan, Housing For All, provides for historic levels of government investment to grow the supply of social housing over the next ten years and a commitment to end homelessness by 2030.

Spotlight on Melbourne

Melbourne is ranked in 6th place overall, tied with New York, Toronto and Auckland.

On individual measures, Melbourne was ranked:

3rd for income and poverty
5th for rough sleeping
8th for homelessness
9th for affordability

Download the city profiles

The 2021 census figures show there were 323 people sleeping rough across South Australia on census night, 64 fewer people than in 2016, or 17%. This compares with a 50% increase recorded in the 2016 census, up from 258 people in 2011.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Auckland are based on the latest census data collected in 2018. As a point-in-time count, the numbers may underestimate the scale of rough sleeping specifically, and homelessness more broadly. Some people sleeping rough may be hard to reach and not everyone will be visible; some households may be reluctant to disclose the extent of their housing situation or may not consider themselves as homeless.

Ireland's Government is committed to ending homelessness, including rough sleeping, but despite past policies and initiatives, homelessness continued to worsen. Last year, it introduced the Affordable Housing Act 2021, Ireland's first housing legislation. Its 2021 housing plan, Housing For All, provides for historic levels of government investment to grow the supply of social housing over the next ten years and a commitment to end homelessness by 2030.

Despite a raft of dedicated policies and funding for homelessness and affordable housing, a lack of affordable housing is a major issue in Greater London. While Greater London has a substantial amount of social housing (24% of dwellings), it also has the highest average private rents in England overall and one of the highest rates of housing stress in the OECD. A quarter of a million households (250,992 applicants) are on the wait list for housing with local authorities.

According to the 2021 census data, the level of rough sleeping in Victoria fell by 100 people (9%), from 1,123 people in 2016 to 1,023 people in 2021.7 This compares to a 3% rise in the 2016 census, up from 1,090 people in 2011.

New York has one of the least affordable metropolitan housing markets in the world (based on 92 housing markets across 8 countries) and was ranked 73 in Demographia's 2021 Housing Affordability Index.1 Even though there has been a recorded increase in housing supply, this has mostly been for high-end dwellings.

San Francisco's housing market is one of the most expensive in the United States. According to Demographia's Housing Affordability Index, San Francisco was ranked 86 (out of 92 housing markets in 8 countries). The critical shortage of affordable housing along with increasing rents is at the core of entrenched and rising homelessness. It has been estimated that there is a deficit of almost 121,000 affordable rental units for the poorest households in the San Francisco metropolitan area.

Sydney regularly featured in the top 10 most liveable cities in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index (based on a total of 140 cities worldwide) for the past several years. But in 2021, it dropped just outside the top 10, into 11th place. Sydney is one of the most expensive cities for housing, whether buying or renting, and out of reach for a growing number of the poorest households, including anyone on the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance or Parenting Payment.

Like the three Australian cities, Toronto was also rated in the top 10 most liveable cities in the world in the 2019 Global Liveability Index (based on a total of 140 cities worldwide). But it also has the second least affordable housing market in Canada and was ranked 83 on Demographia's International Housing Affordability Index (compares housing affordability across 92 housing markets in eight countries).

Just like the three Australian cities, Vancouver was also rated in the top 10 most liveable cities in the world in the 2019 Global Liveability Index (based on a total of 140 cities worldwide). However, it is also the least affordable housing market in Canada. Based on the International Housing Affordability Index (which compares housing affordability in eight countries totalling 92 housing markets), Vancouver was ranked 90th least affordable of the 92 markets included in the Index.