From 16 – 20 November 2020, 73 people sleeping rough participated in a survey across the Byron Shire. The information gathered in the survey assists us to understand the needs of people sleeping rough and coordinate support services.
Connections Week was conducted by our Community Development team in partnership with End Street Sleeping Collaboration and group of local community service providers and volunteers.
We want to make positive changes and prevent people ever having to sleep rough.
Who was surveyed?
- 77% identified as male.
- 18% identified as female.
- 23% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
- 44 was the average age.
Some key findings
- 25% have been sleeping rough for 1 year or less.
- 21% have been sleeping for rough for 10 years or more.
- 57% of people had a high level of vulnerability.
- 21 is the median age when an individual became homeless.
Health
- 77% have a physical health condition.
- 38% have dental problems.
- 21% have foot or skin infections.
- 18% reported dehydration.
Self-reported causes of homelessness
- 32% couldn’t find an affordable house.
- 27% relationship breakdown.
- 18% family conflict.
- 18% loss of job or couldn’t find a job.
- 15% domestic and family violence.
When asked what people needed to be safe and well, housing was a key theme.
Download the Connections Week Byron Shire infographic(PDF, 352KB)
A full report on the results is available on End Street Sleeping Collaboration’s website.