Like minded people, taking a big picture approach by developing early intervention tools that address homelessness vulnerability and its impact on everyday Australians.

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Home Address Australia (HAA)

With the help of our friends and supporters, our goal is to dismantle the systemic barriers that prevent all Australians from having a place to call home. We aim to achieve this by elevating the voices of lived experience and bringing this vital expert knowledge to stakeholders across the sectors that serve those experiencing or at risk of being homelessness.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) defines homelessness as occurring when a person’s current living arrangement is in a dwelling that is inadequate; has no tenure, or has initial tenure that is short and non-extendable; or does not allow them to have control over and access to space for social relations. Home Address Australia builds on this definition by adding the crucial element of “a safe and appropriate place for a person or persons to live” (ABS, 2023).

Across Australia, many organisations—large and small—along with all levels of government, individuals, and philanthropists, work tirelessly to support people experiencing homelessness or facing housing insecurity. These efforts are extraordinary and deserve recognition. One of Home Address Australia’s core objectives is to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible work being done by these organisations, individuals, and governments.

Our Story

Home Address Australia is the brainchild of Dr. Gregory P. Smith OAM and his friend and partner, Catherine Player. Having spent much of his life homeless, Dr. Smith’s lived experience has been invaluable in his consulting work with homelessness organisations over the past decade.

Throughout this time, Dr. Smith recognised the growing need for an organisation that is independent of government funding—an organisation that can be a true voice for those experiencing homelessness and speak candidly about systemic failures when and where they occur across Australia.

While acknowledging that the complete eradication of homelessness may not be realistic, HAA’s vision is to make homelessness rare, brief, and once-off. We aim to achieve this by collaborating with governments, organisations, and communities to implement evidence-based, 21st-century solutions, rather than relying on outdated methods to address modern social challenges.

Despite good intentions, the efforts of various governments in recent years have not translated into a reduction in homelessness. In fact, strong evidence suggests that homelessness is increasing. Changing parliaments, shifting policies, and fluctuating attitudes often result in funding being reduced or withdrawn—even from programs that are demonstrating impact.

For someone sleeping rough, every cold night matters. When survival depends on unreliable systems, it’s easy to lose hope that change will ever come. It’s no surprise, then, that the median life expectancy for a long-term homeless person in Australia is around 50 years.

Although further research is needed, existing evidence suggests there are solutions to homelessness. Sometimes, those solutions require a fundamental shift in how systems operate. As Dr. Smith puts it, ‘The time has come to stop funding the status quo, which has allowed a painful social issue to evolve into a self-perpetuating industry.‘