Nobody knows how many people are experiencing rough sleeping homelessness across Melbourne because the only data available for the whole city is via the census every 4 years.  

There are a range of challenges to measuring the true number of people who are experiencing rough sleeping homelessness but one thing that’s clear is that census figures do not accurately measure the scale of the problem. They are unreliable and out of date. 

So, the first step is to accurately measure the number of people who are sleeping rough in our city. This means collecting dynamic, real-time, information. This information is used to create what’s known as a “By Name List”, a list containing the name and needs of every person sleeping rough in a specific community. In communities using the Advance to Zero methodology agencies and service providers collaborate to coordinate resources and advocacy until every single person on their By Name List is housed.