Melbourne’s most severe homeless cases have more than doubled in the past two years, as the city fights a crisis of chronic rough sleeping.
The City of Melbourne’s by-name list, a catalogue of the city’s most severe homelessness cases, was last publicly updated in March 2024.
Now, the Herald Sun can reveal the number has jumped in those two years from 78 people to 163, more than doubling the total of chronic rough sleepers.
The list is updated internally every week, and the Herald Sun understands that in June more people were added to the list than removed, with demand for homelessness support outpacing the available housing.
The by name list is designed to connect Melbourne’s worst homelessness cases with the support they need to direct them into permanent housing.
The list is compiled by an outreach team who track the individuals sleeping rough in Melbourne, and is described by Town Hall as “the most accurate, complete and timely list possible of all individuals experiencing rough sleeping in the City of Melbourne”.
Homelessness has increased across the country in 2026, with the Salvation Army saying that more than 122,000 people are now experiencing homelessness across Australia.
“It is a widespread problem, and what it means is that more people are being marginalised,” Salvo’s general manager of homelessness Jed Donoghue told the Herald Sun.
“I think there’s a concentration of disadvantage in the city.
“I mean that’s where a lot of the NGOs are, a lot of the community services, so people are often drawn into metropolitan areas and big cities.
“Rising rents, limited housing and ongoing cost-of-living pressures are pushing more Australians to breaking point.
“We’re seeing working people, families, older women and young people seeking homelessness support because they simply can’t afford a safe place to live,” Mr Donoghue said.
The past week was national homelessness week, which Mr Donoghue reflected on, asking governments “is there capacity to do more?”
Town Hall’s Councillor for community, health and city services Gladys Liu said that “everyone deserves a roof over their head”.
She said that while housing was “primarily a State and Federal government responsibility” the city was “doing our part by delivering the largest investment in homelessness support services in the city’s history”.
“We now have Victoria’s largest outreach team – helping connect people sleeping rough with the housing, health and support services they need to rebuild their lives,” Ms Liu.
Town Hall invested $2.3 million in the 2026–27 Budget to deliver two homelessness programs, which included an outreach program and Vincentcare’s Safe Space Program.
The revelation about the by name list more than doubling comes as Town Hall has come head-to-head with the Salvation Army over a broken promise by Lord Mayor Nick Reece.
Mr Reece told the Salvo’s in his election campaign that he would give $6m in funding for homelessness services, which he said would be given to the Salvo’s.
Following the election, this amount was increased to $9 million but was subject to an open and independent tender process, in which the Salvation Army was not successful.
It has led commanding officer Major Brendan Nottle to accuse Mr Reece of repeatedly pressuring the organisation to leave its Bourke St home.
Mr Reece disputed the characterisation insisting he did not want the Salvo’s to leave the city.