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A new report has revealed the areas with the largest increases in rough sleeping this decade amid calls for urgent extra funding for overwhelmed homelessness services.
The number of people sleeping rough in NSW has risen from 1,319 in 2020 to 2,308 in 2026, a 75% increase, according to a new report by Homelessness New South Wales titled Rough Sleeping is Up: We know what to do, we just need the funding.
The Mid North Coast, New England and Northern NSW district recorded the biggest increase with an extra 617 people sleeping rough compared to 2020, the analysis of street count data showed.
Illawarra Shoalhaven and Southern NSW was second with an increase of 186 people, while the Hunter and Central Coast saw an extra 153 people sleeping rough compared to 2020. The only district where numbers decreased was Western Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains.
“From Bega to Byron Bay, rough sleeping is soaring as more people are left unable to afford the private rental market,” said Homelessness NSW CEO Dominique Rowe. “Some regions which barely had any rough sleeping now have dozens of people without a place to call home.”
The LGA with the highest increase was Port Macquarie-Hastings with a rise of 111 people. Wollongong went from 10 to 110, an increase of 1,000%. Coffs Harbour also increased by 100 people.
In 2026 the City of Sydney recorded 50 fewer people than the previous year, but neighbouring Inner West increased by 38 and Randwick increased by nine, almost exactly offsetting Sydney’s lower count. This suggests people have moved out of the CBD into adjacent suburbs rather than finding stable pathways out of homelessness.
The report also showed that homelessness services are struggling to cope with increased demand. Unassisted requests for help have increased by 92% since 2020-21, reaching 21,530 in 2024-25.
“The good news is the solutions are very clear,” said Ms Rowe. “The NSW Government must fund homelessness services to meet demand and also build enough social housing so people have a pathway to a suitable home.”
December 10, 2021
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