Nearly 1,000 Brisbane families recorded as homeless over the past year

A new report from Brisbane Zero indicates that 984 families, encompassing 1,539 children, were documented as sleeping rough in Brisbane during the 2025-2026 financial year. Single-mother households accounted for over 70% of those families, and 321 were experiencing homelessness for the first time. The coalition, which includes groups such as the Salvation Army and Micah Projects, placed 318 families into housing, with 41% in social housing and 35% in private rentals.

The findings also show that 268 of the families identified as First Nations and that many individuals faced violence, safety concerns, and frequent police contact. Service providers warned that reduced capacity, not a decline in need, explains the slower addition of new names to the list, and they called for more affordable rental options and integrated health support.