The Northern Territory (NT) is in a long-term housing and homelessness crisis. Ambition and investment to date have been inadequate to meet the basic accommodation needs of all Territorians. In Greater Darwin, the most visible evidence of a need to provide adequate support is the presence of people who are sleeping rough.

The issue of rough sleeping in Greater Darwin is not new, and nor are government responses to it.

Responses range from law-and-order interventions that police public space by moving people to urban peripheries, to the provision of social services and resources that attempt to mitigate the challenges and harms of rough sleeping. These responses are often pursued simultaneously and with contradictory impacts, in contrast to the necessary whole-of-government approach needed to reduce homelessness.

FINAL REPORT        POLICY BRIEF