Across the world, cities that have reduced punitive enforcement and increased funding into social services, housing and community, have seen decreased numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Complicated? Not in the slightest. This shift has occurred by placing people’s needs in policy. The move away from punishment and towards support, not only improves individual outcomes but also provides the foundations for safer and stronger communities. In Australia, however, people experiencing homelessness not only face the challenges of navigating underfunded services, they also face ‘hyper-policing’ – a pattern of excessive police interventions that criminalise their existence. (Anthony, 2024)
Drawing on interviews with 164 people experiencing homelessness nationwide, the research by Professors Thalia Anthony of the University of Technology Sydney, Tamara Walsh of the University of Queensland, Luke McNamara of UNSW Sydney, and Julia Quilter of the University of Wollongong found that ‘current policing approaches in Australia not only fail to address homelessness but actively worsen it, rather than connecting people with services or housing, excessive police intervention creates additional barriers to stability and recovery’ (Anthony 2024).
‘Members of StreetCare, an advisory committee of people with lived experience of homelessness, [similarly] report that police practices often criminalise homelessness. People are frequently subjected to excessive and unjust policing, including searches, move-on orders and the confiscation and disposal of their belongings. These responses compound the challenges of people experiencing homelessness, while failing to address its root causes – namely the lack of affordable housing and the support to sustain it.’ (Alannah Daly, Justice and Equity Centre 2025)
The crisis of housing and homelessness in Australia is set against a ‘background context that includes rapidly increasing housing prices, underinvestment in public and affordable housing, real-terms reduction in welfare benefits, the epidemic of domestic and family violence, and the lack of options outside the market for those on low incomes’(Human Rights Legal Centre, 2025). In addition to this, the failure to allocate adequate budget to homelessness services has resulted in services ‘struggling to meet the demand and as a result, are often required to make difficult decisions regarding who they are able to assist, and who must be turned away.’ (Alannah Daly, Justice and Equity Centre 2025) We must do better.
In the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland local government has directed $1.4million into the policing and destruction of homeless camps (Sato, 2025) rather than directing these funds into services or affordable housing. Relying on police to enforce the surveillance and control of the rough sleeping community overlooks the reality identified by people with lived experience that ‘police do not have the skills and training to respond to people sleeping rough. The lack of trauma-informed response can cause significant harm and exacerbate people’s mental health and wellbeing problems, rather than supporting them’. (Alannah Daly, Justice and Equity Centre 2025)
‘Police-led responses can lead to serious harm or even death for the people interacting with them. Even when such outcomes are avoided, using police in these situations adds to the widespread criminalisation and marginalisation of already over-policed groups’. (Alternative First Responders, 2025) Beyond the hyper-policing approach we see in Australia, people experiencing homelessness are expected to navigate an incredibly challenging housing system. ‘Take for example temporary accommodation services; people accessing temporary accommodation are typically required to prove that they are attempting to resolve their own housing need by applying for multiple private rentals, attending numerous inspection and reporting evidence of this to Homes NSW. Even then, they are only provided with a few days of accommodation before they have to leave, move their belongings, re-apply for temporary accommodation and start the whole process again.’ (Alannah Daly, Justice and Equity Centre 2025)
Contrastingly, in Finland, over 12 consecutive years, they have successfully decreased the amount of people experiencing homelessness with their person-centred ‘housing first’ model. This national framework provides affordable homes without conditions, meaning people have the chance to establish a safe space from which they are then able to get their life back on track. This recognises that housing is essential for wellbeing, and people will be far more able to manage other challenges in life once housed. Reducing the conditionality of housing support can help people achieve stability and security more quickly and effectively. (Alannah Daly, Justice and Equity Centre 2025) This model is integrated with personalised support services for individuals who are sleeping rough, on the edge of homelessness or low-income single parents.
‘It is important that once housed, people are provided with the support they need to maintain their home. It is often the case that once a person is finally able to catch a breath, they turn their mind to rebuilding their life after being in survival mode. They may need to access healthcare, organise finances, or seek support for mental health conditions.’ (Alannah Daly, Justice and Equity Centre 2025) The ‘housing first’ model is recognised around the world for its effectiveness in marrying affordable homes with well-resourced services, demonstrating the importance of policy courage in ending homelessness, upholding human rights and treating people experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect.
In Australia, programs like St Vincent’s Homeless Health, a multidisciplinary team made up of nurses, doctors, Aboriginal health workers, allied staff and peer support workers, centre dignity and respect and provide an effective alternative to over-policing people sleeping rough. ‘The team offers health support to people where they sleep. They employ a trauma-informed approach. Homeless Health recognise the dignity of the person who is rough sleeping and treat them with respect and care, instead of just as a ‘problem’ to be solved. We need health professionals with specific skills and understanding to meet the needs of people who are rough sleeping, and other vulnerable populations.’ (Alannah Daly, Justice and Equity Centre 2025)
‘Other examples include Murri Watch community patrols in Townsville and Mackay. Murri Watch cross-collaborates with emergency shelters and sobering-up centres across Queensland. In Adelaide, Mobile Aboriginal Patrol helps First Nations individuals at risk of police interaction by connecting them with sobering-up centres and housing and social support. In both examples, community involvement, cross-sector collaboration and robust training allows for individuals to receive immediate, short-term and long-term support. This reduces the risk of individuals interacting with police both immediately and in the future.’ (Alternative First Responders, 2025)
Progressive leaders across the United States are demonstrating that sustainable solutions to homelessness require investment in housing and wraparound services, not expanded policing. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has launched a five-year commitment to expanding housing options and bolstering services for people sleeping rough, with a plan grounded in centering the voices of those with lived experience. Last month, his administration allocated $40 million to upgrading facilities and shelters to provide “dignified, trauma-informed and accessible environments for people experiencing homelessness” (Chicago Mayor Office, 2025). Similarly, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has increased the supply of public housing by developing vacant properties into permanent and affordable homes while simultaneously redirecting funds from police to community services spanning employment, education, public spaces and health. As Scott emphasises: “It takes investments beyond the police department, including in resources like recreation centers, parks, pools, and schools, to build healthy, resilient communities that nurture healthy, resilient people” (Brown, 2025).
If Australia insists on following in America’s footsteps, than lets at least follow the right path. It’s time Australia walked the talk and put the needs of community first. These examples illuminate a fundamental truth; governments achieve better outcomes for both individuals experiencing homelessness and the broader community when they centre the voices of those with lived experiences and fund support services rather than punitive enforcement. Evidence shows us that housing-first approaches coupled with wraparound support create pathways out of homelessness, while criminalisation perpetuates cycles of instability and unravels the very safety net that should be in place for everyone to have access to safe and secure housing. When we know there are proven alternatives to hyper-policing people sleeping rough, alternatives that work, what is Australia waiting for? As OAM Professor Gregory Smith of Southern Cross University, who has lived-experience of rough sleeping argues: “What we need is political will. Rough sleeping and homelessness have its origins in community and in community is where we will find the answers to all of the issues, but we need the support of government, we need support from agencies.” (Pashley, 2025). We need the political courage to act – ‘to enshrine a right to housing as a human right in Australian law, recognising a right to housing acknowledges and protects the importance of housing to safety, dignity, privacy and autonomy’. (Human Rights Legal Centre, 2025).
Sign the pledge for alternative first responders and join us for The Alternative First Responders Symposium, 16 October 2025.
References
Anthony, T., Walsh, T., McNamara, L., & Quilter, J. (2024). Hyper-policing the homeless: Lived experience and the perils of benevolent and malevolent policing. Critical Criminology, 32(3), 609-627.
Justice and Equity Centre. (2025, August) Alannah Daly, Spokesperson for Justice and Equity Centre and Co-author of Alternative first responders: Housing not hyper-policing [article]. Alternative First Responders
Human Rights Legal Centre (2025) Right to Housing Report [Report] Human Rights Legal Centre
Sato, K. (2025, August 27) City of Moreton Bay spends $1.4 million cracking down on homeless camps [News article]. ABC.
Alternative First Responders (2025, February) Alternative First Responders Position Paper, [Position Paper]. National Justice Project
Chicago Mayor’s Office. (2025, July 23). Mayor Brandon Johnson announces largest-ever investment to improve and modernise shelter infrastructure citywide [Press release]. City of Chicago.
Brown, D. (2025 August, 16) Scott touts reduction of thousands of vacant Baltimore properties since 2020. [News article]. Maryland Matters
Pashley, G. (2025, July 24). Can we end homelessness? [Podcast]. Life Matters, ABC Radio National
