The 2026 Statewide Street Count is showing encouraging improvements in key locations, with fewer people sleeping rough in both inner-city Sydney and Byron Shire following targeted investment and coordinated support.
Despite these notable reductions, the number of people sleeping rough in NSW has risen by 5 per cent over the past year, with 2,308 people recorded in 2026.
The annual Street Count provides a snapshot of homelessness across NSW and helps guide investment and service delivery.
Inner-city Sydney saw a 15 percent reduction in rough sleepers, with 296 people counted compared to 346 in 2025.
Byron Shire also experienced a significant decline with numbers falling for the second year in a row, from a high of 348 people in 2024 to 245 people in 2026.
Similar downward trends were observed in Ballina, Inverell and the Tweed Valley demonstrating the effectiveness of targeted local responses that help connect people with housing support.
The biggest regional increases were identified in Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, the Hunter and Central Coast, while the largest increase in Greater Sydney was seen in the Inner West.
Under the Minns Labor Government, NSW has a whole-of-government plan to end homelessness for the first time in the state's history, backed by a record investment in housing and homelessness.
The NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025-2035 is driving a comprehensive approach to ensure experiences of homelessness are rare, brief, and not repeated. Key actions include:
- Creating more housing through the Building Homes for NSW program: The $6.6 billion dollar initiative will create 8,400 new public homes, more than 21,000 affordable homes and repair 30,000 public homes in need of maintenance. The program will also invest $527.6 million in homelessness responses.
- Enhancing protections for renters: The Minns Government has introduced a suite of reforms to make renting fairer, including banning no-grounds evictions, limiting rent increases to once a year, and ensuring renters have fee-free ways to pay.
- Delivering frontline support through the Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF): The HIFis funding ideas and innovations of Specialist Homelessness Services and other partners on the frontline of the housing crisis. This game-changing approach has already delivered more than 800 new rooms for people experiencing homelessness.
- Expanding and upgrading crisis accommodation through the Building Crisis Housing Plan: The $130 million initiative will create at least 200 additional beds for people experiencing homelessness by 2029. The plan will also transform aging infrastructure into fit-for-purpose, self-contained crisis accommodation with on-site support services.
More than 370 local organisations partnered with Homes NSW to complete street counts in 2026 across 461 towns and suburbs across 77 local government areas (LGAs) across NSW.
This year's street count was conducted between 23 February and 19 March 2026 and is published annually.
The full 2026 Street Count data can be viewed at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/social-affordable/street-count
Minister for Homelessness Rose Jackson said:
"These results really shine a light on how our targeted intervention can reduce rough sleeping. The urgent need to address the root causes of homelessness remains a work in progress to ensure that no one in our community is left behind.
"While the scale of the challenge is significant, it's encouraging to see our record investment in housing and homelessness services is laying a platform for change, with results starting to show in priority areas like Byron and the CBD where much of our early focus was directed.
"The overall numbers are stabilising too - back in 2023 there was a 34 per cent increase in rough sleeping recorded, that slowed to 8 per cent last year and now 5 per cent in 2026. We are making headway, but it won't happen overnight.
"The data tells us that a lack of affordable housing and high cost of living are the most common drivers of homelessness, which is exactly why the NSW Government is laser-focused on building more homes as quickly as possible.
"Collaboration between government, community organisations and local councils is crucial, and we will continue to work together to innovate and expand our efforts to provide safe, secure and affordable housing for all."
