Homelessness in Byron and Tweed Shire is still at critical levels
Tweed Shire is equally severe. The 2021 Census recorded 529 people in Tweed Shire experiencing homelessness — up from 444 in 2016 and 308 in 2011 — with an additional 304 people living in marginal housing such as crowded or improvised dwellings and caravan parks. In the 2024 Street Count, Tweed Shire experienced the 3rd largest increase in rough sleeping among all NSW local government areas. Tweed Shire Council – NSW
Together, Byron and Tweed LGAs combined accounted for 27% of all rough sleepers in the entire state of NSW in 2023.
Homelessness Australia (hnc)
The Scale is Growing — and Fast
In NSW, rough sleeping has surged by 51% since 2020, largely driven by an increase in regional communities — far outpacing the national average. Homelessness Australia
Across NSW, homelessness services assisted 67,824 people in the 2024–25 financial year — yet 59 people a day are still being turned away, unable to get help in their most desperate time of need. The Northern Rivers Times
The proportion of employed people accessing homelessness services rose from 10.9% to 15.3% over five years — one of the most powerful statistics available for challenging the stereotype of who experiences homelessness.
The Most Recent Data (2025 & 2026 Street Counts)
The 2025 Street Count showed some improvement in the region after targeted government intervention, but the numbers remain alarming. Byron recorded 291 rough sleepers (down 16% from 348), while Tweed recorded 155 — still the second-highest number of rough sleepers in the region. However, Byron Shire’s Mayor cautioned that the true numbers are likely much higher, noting the count only occurred over half a day compared to two days in 2024, and that rough sleeping in regional areas looks very different to urban areas — with people sleeping in bushland, dunes, cars and vans that are harder to capture. Lismore App + Byron Council NSW
Why the Crisis Is So Deep Here
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Acute lack of social housing: Social housing represents just 1.8% of local housing stock in Byron Shire — far below what’s needed. Byron Shire has less than 5% of the social housing that exists in the City of Sydney, despite similar numbers of people needing homes. Byron Council
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Skyrocketing rents and property values: The region’s housing affordability crisis is dire, worsened by soaring rents, property prices, and the aftermath of the 2022 floods — many locals, especially those on low incomes, simply cannot afford housing in Byron Shire.
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Services being stretched beyond capacity: NSW homelessness services assisted 67,824 people in the 2024–25 financial year, yet frontline teams are unable to keep pace with increasingly urgent need, with 59 people a day being turned away from homelessness services across the state. The Northern Rivers Times
Vulnerable Groups Most at Risk
Groups particularly vulnerable to homelessness in the region include young people, women and children escaping domestic and family violence, older individuals (especially women over 55), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people with mental health issues. Tweed Council NSW
The Good News (Winter Warmer Is Part Of)
NSW Government
They do this with little or no government funding.
Domestic & Family Violence — The Hidden Driver
Nearly 9,120 women in Australia become homeless each year due to domestic and family violence, and in NSW they make up almost half of all specialist homelessness service clients. NCOSS
Nationally, 35,736 people sought homelessness support in June 2025 because of domestic and family violence — a 13% rise in just two years. In NSW alone, more than 8,400 people needed help in that single month.
Womens Trauma Recovery Centre
Older People — The Fastest-Growing and Most Invisible Group
Around 31,700 older Australians aged 55 and over accessed specialist homelessness services in 2024–25 — up from 29,500 the year before — with around 12,200 experiencing homelessness when they first presented. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
For a single person on the age pension, just 0.2% of rental listings across Australia are affordable. That figure alone tells the whole story of why older people are falling into homelessness. The Salvation Army
Mental Health — The Invisible Layer
Around 1 in 7 people experiencing homelessness are in a state of persistent homelessness, with half of those also living with a current mental health issue. This is useful context for why crisis relief alone isn’t enough — and why the whole ecosystem of our partners matters.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
First Nations Communities
Aboriginal women are up to 35 times more likely to experience domestic and family violence than non-Aboriginal women, which accounts for much of the homelessness experienced by Aboriginal families in the region. Women’s Agenda
A National Crisis
Homelessness providers report a 12% rise in monthly caseloads since 2019-20.
Rough sleeping increased by 22% nationally over the three years to 2023-24, as measured according to the flow of new clients logged by support agencies
More than three-quarters of homelessness services (77%) found it significantly harder to secure housing for clients in mid-2024 compared to the previous year.
Increased demand for services has resulted in longer support periods, with the median duration of service support rising by 44% in the five years to 2023.
Housing affordability stress as the main driver of homelessness increased by 36% in the three years to 2023-24.
The proportion of employed people accessing homelessness services rose from 10.9% to 15.3% in the five years to 2022-23.
The fastest-growing cohorts within the population affected by homelessness over the past six years have been older people persons aged 55-64 (up by 15%); persons aged 65+ (up by 31%).
Winter Warmer Homelessness Fundraising Campaign
Winter Warmer is an annual campaign by local charity Dharma Care aimed at alleviating the suffering and helping homeless communities in the Northern Rivers region of Australia during the winter season.