While much international research has focused on enumerating
and profiling populations experiencing homelessness, the same cannot be
said for those at-risk of homelessness. Yet in order to successfully prevent
homelessness we must first know who is at-risk and why. This paper uses two
panel surveys to operationalise and test a definition of homelessness risk and
subsequently enumerate and profile the population at-risk of homelessness in
Australia. Findings revealed that 7.9% of people aged 15 years and over, just
under 1.5 million people, were at-risk of homelessness in Australia in 2015.
Compared with the national population, those at-risk are more likely to be
women, to be Indigenous and to report fair or poor health. They also have
lower levels of educational attainment and are more likely to be on low incomes
and in receipt of income-support payments, linking risk of homelessness with
multiple indicators of poverty and disadvantage. The paper concludes by
discussing opportunities for future international scholarship on homelessness
risk using household panel surveys and draws on the findings to suggest
directions for primary prevention efforts in Australia.