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WORLD HOMELESS DAY

Dignity is a human right

10th October 2025 - World Homeless Day

World Homeless Day is marked to draw attention to homeless people’s needs both locally across Australia and internationally.

Facts about Australian Homelessness

1 in 208 Australians are currently homeless (ABS 2021).

45,800 people will sleep rough on the street across Australia this year (ABS 2021).

5.2% increase in the number of homeless people across Australia (ABS 2021 vs ABS 2016).

Women aged over 55 are the fastest-growing group of homeless Australians (ABS 2021 vs ABS 2016).

In 2021-2022 over 81,000 requests for accommodation from homeless people across Australia could not be met (AIHW 2022).

37% of homeless people are aged under 25 years (ABS 2021).

Facts about Global Homelessness

Exact figures globally are challenging as there is no standard definition for homelessness and it has many forms - from sleeping on the street through to lack of stable permanent housing.

Estimates are that 2% of the world's population are homeless (150 million people).

More than 20% of the world’s population may lack adequate housing (1.6 billion people).

Australian Homeless figures increased 5.2% in 5 years
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Top 5 Cities Worldwide - people experiencing Homelessness

  • Philippines, Manila

    • Manila is the city with the highest estimated rate of homelessness in the world with 3 million homeless.
    • There are a total of 4.5 million homeless people throughout the Phillipines.
    • In 2017 the goverment committed to building 800,000 homes over five years.
      (source: Reuters 2018)

  • USA, New York

    • Over 61,000 people are homeless in New York.
    • This includes 14,621 families with 21,419 children accessing shelters.
    • There has been a 64% increase of people sleeping in shelters over the past 10 years.
      (Source: Coalition for the Homeless July 2019)

  • USA, Los Angeles

    • LA is has the second highest city for the number of homeless people in the USA.
    • L.A. County’s homeless population at 58,936 and LA city has 36,300 homeless people.
    • Homelessness was up by 12 % in the last year in LA County and up 16 % in the City of Los Angeles.
      (Source: City of LA 2019)

  • Mexico, Mexico City

    • Estimates are between 15,000 - 30,000 homeless people
    • With at least 15,000 of them being children.

  • India, Mumbai

    • There are an estimated 20+ million homeless people across India.
    • Mumbai has around 20,000 homeless individuals sleeping on the street. 

Causes of Homelessness

Reasons for people being homeless can vary across countries but typically are due to:

Lack of affordable housing (rising property values)

Limited housing / rental stress

Poverty

Loss of employment, under-employment or inability to gain a new job

Lack of services for people suffering from mental illness

Family breakdown & violence

Critical for survival. Dignity and the life saving Backpack Bed. Homeless can happen to anyone

Trevor slept on the street in Brisbane in a Backpack Bed. Why the Backpack Bed is the best product for homeless sleeping on the streets. Backpack Beds save the lives of homeless sleeping on our streets.  Used by 800+ homeless agencies - across 8 countries.

Backpack Beds (swags) SAVE LIVES

Backpack Bed for Homeless partners with homeless services across Australia to distribute our study proven Backpack Beds to street sleeping homeless without shelter.

We are not government funded and rely on the support of everyday Australians to help give back safety to people living on the streets. Your donation can help someone survive a night on the streets by protecting them from the harsh weather climates that can happen at night.

What you can do on World Homeless Day 2025

Donate Today
Start an online Fundraiser

How The Homeless Backpack Bed (Swag) Works

Backpack Bed - lightweight

Lightweight 3KG

Street tough material

Backpack Bed - full body protection

Full Body Protection

4 season summer & winter

Backpack Bed - fire retardant

Fire Retardant

Fabric + Mattress 190cm x 55cm

Backpack Bed - wind & rain protection

Water & Wind Proof

Protects against winter chills

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Full Body Mosquito Net

Stop bites on hot summer nights

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Ergonomic Backpack

Adjustable shoulder & chest straps

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Storage Pockets

4 pockets - store over 20kg

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Secret lockable pocket

With brass key lock

You can make a difference for World Homeless Day

How your gift makes a difference

Backpack Bed for Homeless thank you postcard
Thank you notes from homeless Backpack Bed recipients
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