Melbourne Zero is a growing movement of Melburnians like you who want to see real change. Our goal? End rough sleeping in Melbourne by 2030.

And when we do, we’ll be Australia’s first city to make it happen.

Our movement is about busting stigma, spotlighting solutions, and pushing for change in our local communities. 

We’re calling on the State Government and local councils to:

• Create and maintain local By-Name Lists so no one is left behind
• Improve supply and access to social and affordable housing with wraparound support
• Support a Melbourne-wide List to ensure people don’t fall through the cracks when they move

Eight councils are already on board. Because we can't change what we can't see, we publish real-time data for each council area monthly. No more waiting years for Census figures – we track progress as it happens.

We know Melburnians care about homelessness

Most Melburnians believe we should be doing more to end homelessness and that in a wealthy country like Australia, there is no excuse for homelessness (Community Sentiment research, Launch Housing, 2024).

We transform concern into action by:

• Providing clear, evidence-based solutions
• Creating actionable pathways for community involvement
• Building a powerful collective voice for systemic change

Ready to make a difference? Join us and be part of Melbourne's journey to zero homelessness.

Our story

Remember when COVID lockdowns ended rough sleeping in Melbourne? Yes, that really happened.

In 2020, the Victorian Government invested $6 million to move nearly 1,000 people from the streets into accommodation. What began as a public health measure to slow the virus had another clear outcome: almost nobody slept on the streets.

For a brief but important moment, we witnessed what's possible. With support, hundreds of people found stability – some for the first time in years. This raised a powerful question: what if we maintained this level of care beyond the pandemic? What if we refused to accept the status quo?

That's how Melbourne Zero was born. Seeing our city with zero visible homelessness challenged the idea that rough sleeping is an inevitable part of city life and showed us that ending homelessness is possible.

And if any city can make it happen, it's Melbourne. We lead the way in arts, sport, and culture – why not compassion too?

The Zero approach

Before COVID-19, specialist homelessness organisation Launch Housing was already introducing Melbourne to a global homelessness solution: Advance to Zero.

This Zero approach tackles homelessness in a hyper-local way and for specific groups (think young people, First Nations people, or those experiencing chronic homelessness). The goal? Functional Zero – the point where more people move into housing than experience homelessness.

And here's what matters most: it works.

In 2017, Rockford, Illinois became the first city to achieve functional zero for chronic homelessness and veterans. By 2020, five U.S. cities had reached similar milestones.

The Zero Approach works by bringing everyone to the table – homelessness services, healthcare providers, councils, government agencies, and community organisations. They work together to get to know each person sleeping rough, create a By-Name List and then work collaboratively to secure the right support and housing for each person, so no one slips through the cracks.

No one person or organisation can end homelessness

It’s all about strength in numbers. Our voices and our actions can help make Melbourne truly liveable for everyone – and you can too.

The good news? We’re not starting from scratch. 8,000+ Melburnians and 50 partner organisations have already joined. Together, we're:

• Shining a light on our homelessness crisis, because you can't fix what you can't see, while focusing on solutions. We promise to never leave you feeling hopeless.
• Building momentum through collective advocacy that shows decision-makers just how many of us care about ending homelessness in our city.
• Taking practical actions and doing the groundwork in neighbourhoods across Melbourne to get us closer to zero.

Every person who joins makes our voice stronger. Every conversation challenges the stigma. Every action brings us closer to our goal.

Ready to be part of the solution? Join the movement today.

Contact us

Want to know how to help get your local council on board? Send us an email.

Resources

Curious about actions you can take to help end rough sleeping homelessness in your area? Check out these ideas. 

Want more answers? See our FAQs.