Recently, some Australian municipalities have ramped up forced removals of people experiencing homelessness, dismantling tent encampments and pushing individuals further into crisis. These actions, while often framed as solutions, fail to address the root causes of homelessness—instead, they worsen health disparities, increase mortality, and erode trust in public institutions.
As Courtney Pladsen, US Director of Clinical and Quality Improvement at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC), states:
“We have seen a national trend of increased unsheltered homelessness. This study indicates that encampment sweeps are the wrong approach to this crisis. We must provide street medicine, medical outreach, substance use treatment, and harm reduction services, as well as focus on addressing the heart of the issue — these individuals need housing, not ongoing displacement. Too many individuals are losing their lives due to bad policy.”
Her statement is backed by peer-reviewed research demonstrating that forced displacement exacerbates chronic health conditions, increases overdose deaths, and shortens life expectancy (Barocas et al., 2023). Instead of punitive measures, housing-first solutions and integrated healthcare approaches—like those implemented by OneBridge—are the key to long-term change.
Health Consequences of Forced Displacement
Globally, encampment sweeps are not just a logistical challenge; they are a public health crisis. Research consistently shows that forcibly moving people causes avoidable deaths, worsens chronic illnesses, and fractures essential healthcare relationships (Meehan et al., 2024).
1. Increased Mortality Rates
A large-scale JAMA study modelled the long-term health effects of forced displacement and found that encampment sweeps could contribute to a 15-25% increase in deaths over a decade. The primary causes? Overdose deaths, untreated chronic illnesses, and exposure to extreme weather conditions (Barocas et al., 2023).
2. Disruption of Medical Care
Sweeps often result in the confiscation of life-saving medications, mobility aids, and personal belongings, leaving people unable to manage diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, and other serious health conditions. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council has documented multiple cases where individuals suffered medical emergencies—including seizures, infections, and overdoses—immediately following displacement (NHCHC, 2023).
3. Erosion of Trust in Healthcare Systems
Forced removals sever crucial ties between unhoused individuals and healthcare providers, making them less likely to engage with medical outreach, harm reduction services, and mental health care. The result? Higher rates of untreated mental illness, substance use, and emergency hospitalisations (Meehan et al., 2024).
The Real Solution: Housing and Healthcare Together
Stable housing is not just shelter—it is a health intervention. Decades of evidence show that Housing First models improve health outcomes, reduce hospital visits, and lower overall healthcare costs (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2023).
Emergency Room Visits Drop: Providing housing reduces preventable ER visits and long-term hospital stays, decreasing the burden on public healthcare systems (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2023).
Better Chronic Disease Management: People in stable housing are more likely to take medications consistently, attend medical appointments, and follow treatment plans, improving outcomes for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and mental illness (Health Affairs, 2023).
OneBridge: A Model for Health-Centered Solutions
At OneBridge, we reject displacement as a solution. Instead, we bring healthcare directly to people experiencing homelessness, ensuring they receive medical care, harm reduction services, and housing support without barriers.
✔ Health Outreach Co-Responder Services – Our nurses meet people where they are, delivering street-based healthcare and preventing unnecessary ER visits (OneBridge, 2024).
✔ Harm Reduction & Substance Use Support – We provide naloxone, overdose prevention education, and needle exchange programs—treating addiction as a medical condition, not a crime (OneBridge, 2024).
✔ Housing & Healthcare Integration – We advocate for policy change that makes healthcare and housing inseparable, ensuring that once people are housed, they stay housed with ongoing medical and social support.
A Call for Policymakers, Funders, and Healthcare Leaders
If we are serious about ending homelessness, we need solutions grounded in evidence—not short-term enforcement measures that cause harm.
To policymakers: Stop funding punitive approaches. Invest in permanent housing, integrated healthcare, and harm reduction services and work with local service groups to design a coordinated approach together.
To funders and healthcare leaders: Support organisations like OneBridge, which provide mobile healthcare, housing-first advocacy, and harm reduction programs.
To the public: Advocate for evidence-based housing policies. Share this information, challenge harmful narratives, and demand that our leaders do better.
We cannot keep pushing people from one place to another. Instead, let’s make a planned move toward safety, dignity, housing and health access.
References
Barocas, J. A., et al. (2023). Population-Level Health Effects of Involuntary Displacement of People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness. JAMA. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2803839
Meehan, A. A., et al. (2024). Involuntary Displacement and Self-Reported Health. BMC Public Health. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-18681-w
NHCHC. (2023). Impact of Encampment Sweeps on Homelessness. https://nhchc.org
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2023). Housing First is a Matter of Health. https://endhomelessness.org
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2023). The Evidence is Clear: Housing First Works. https://nlihc.org
Health Affairs. (2023). Housing and Healthcare Cost Savings. https://www.healthaffairs.org
