The system as it stands reinforces a cycle of exclusion, with the barriers to stability forming a closed loop — people cannot stabilise because they cannot access systems, and they cannot access systems because they are not stabilised.
Identifying the Gaps
While housing supply and long-term accommodation pathways are critical and rightly prioritised, our on-the-ground work consistently shows that the absence of foundational access systems in the interim creates compounding disadvantage, even where services technically exist, causing systemic exclusion regardless of eligibility or service availability.
Through direct engagement and field observation, the following gaps emerge repeatedly as the most significant barriers to stabilisation:
- Access to a secure postal address
- Access to safe, temporary storage for personal belongings
- Access to realistic, supported employment pathways
- The ‘cost’ of access
Why a Secure Postal Address Is Critical
A lack of a secure postal address prevents people from receiving mail, this being not limited to essential correspondence from: Centrelink, health services, employers, courts, Government agencies etc. In practice, this single barrier obstructs access to income support, healthcare, housing applications, and employment, despite eligibility.
This includes the replacement or re-issuance of critical items such as identification documents and bank cards. Loss or theft of these items is common for people experiencing homelessness. Without a secure address, replacements cannot be delivered.
Without valid identification, individuals cannot open new accounts. Without access to a bank card, individuals are effectively locked out of Centrelink payments and unable to access funds they are legally entitled to.
Further to this, an additional and often overlooked barrier occurs once individuals apply for housing, or go on public health waiting lists. With most systems relying on phone calls, SMS, email, or a letter in the mail to notify applicants when space becomes available. For individuals without a phone, or a postal address, there is often no reliable way for services to contact them.
As a result, individuals may be deemed non-responsive, and effectively miss out on opportunities they never knew existed, meaning that no service is actually delivered, despite need and eligibility. This creates a false appearance of service provision, while in practice, access has remained out of reach.
Currently overlooked: This is a breach of Human Rights
The absence of a secure postal address also creates a barrier to civic participation. While people without a fixed address are legally entitled to enrol and vote, the process assumes access to mail and timely notification. Without a reliable address, individuals are unlikely to receive enrolment forms, voting information, or notice that an election is taking place — resulting in practical disenfranchisement despite formal eligibility.
The Role of Safe Storage
The absence of safe storage forces individuals to either carry all belongings at all times, or abandon them entirely. This leads to frequent loss or theft of essential items such as identification, clothing, medications, and work-related tools — further entrenching instability and disengagement from services.
Safe storage is also a prerequisite for accessing support. Many services rely on digital access points such as the Find My Way portal. Individuals without a phone may need to enter libraries or service centres to access information; however, without safe storage, many are unwilling or unable to leave their belongings unattended. As a result, services that technically exist remain functionally inaccessible.
Employment: A Pathway That Requires Support
Employment is thought of as a pathway out of homelessness. However, most employment systems assume a baseline level of stability that people experiencing homelessness do not currently have.
Without coordinated, supported pathways that account for these realities, employment remains largely inaccessible — even for individuals who are willing and capable of working.
The ‘Cost’ of Access
In addition to these structural barriers, an often overlooked gap consistently emerges — the cost and friction associated with accessing essential services at the very point when individuals have the least capacity to absorb them.
Cost Friction
- Fees for replacement ID
- Transport costs to Centrelink and other services
- Phone credit or data required to “access” services
The associated costs may be small, however if you have $0, or have lost your concession card, they are completely out of reach.
Timing Friction
- Waiting periods
- Systemic delays
- Services that require multiple visits
For someone in crisis, delay = failure.
Cognitive and Emotional Friction
- Complex forms
- Lack of coordination between systems
- Having to re-explain circumstances repeatedly
- Fear of being judged, tracked, or punished for circumstances
Physical Friction
- No transport
- No safe place to leave belongings
- No phone, no credit, or dead battery
Together these gaps form the reasons why people disengage even when help exists. People simply cannot obtain the help that is available because the effort, cost, and timing required exceed what individuals in crisis may be able to realistically manage.
To address these disparities we have developed a long-term strategy to support individuals in times of crisis. The Resilience Strategy is designed to provide an acceptable level of stability for individuals who find themselves in crisis, and stands ready should circumstances land them in crisis again — to learn more click here.
