Street count

Gathering accurate data about the number of people experiencing street homelessness is essential to informing the best way to target resources to those who need the most support.

The NSW Government has committed to undertaking annual street counts of people experiencing street homelessness to deliver more regular data on our progress towards achieving the Premier’s Priority target. Street counts help foster local collaboration and inform local approaches to prevention, housing options and post-crisis support.

Watch this video to see how our teams undertake the street count.

The 2022 NSW Street Count results

The 2022 NSW Street Count, the NSW Government’s third annual statewide rough sleeping street count, was completed between 3 February and 28 February 2022.

Over 150 organisations participated in the street counts, and over 300 either participated in the counts or were consulted during the planning phase. Partners included Community Housing Providers, local councils and Specialist Homelessness Services, as well Aboriginal organisations, Local Health Districts, local community groups, and Police.

Street counts took place across more than 300 towns and suburbs in 76 local government areas (LGA) across NSW. Despite extreme weather across NSW from the week beginning 21 February, street counts were completed in all planned locations, except in the towns of Brunswick Heads and Mullumbimby in the Byron Shire LGA which were cancelled due to unsafe conditions.

1,207 people were counted sleeping rough during these street counts.

A Technical Paper analysing the 2022 street count results and including a full table of results by LGA can be found here.

Past street count results

For more information about the 2020 street count results, please refer to the Technical Paper analysing the 2020 street count data and the Reducing Street Homelessness Fact Sheet.

For more information about the 2021 street count results, please refer to the 2021 Street Count Technical Paper.