Prevalence and Causes of Urban Homelessness Among Indigenous Peoples: A Three-Country Scoping Review

A scoping review was carried out to investigate the prevalence and causes of urban homelessness among Indigenous peoples in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Relevant information was sought from both academic and grey literatures. Data on prevalence were sourced from homeless count reports. Analysis reveals Indigenous peoples are consistently over-represented within urban homeless populations, often by a factor of 5 or more. Literature addressing causation is limited, with just 35 relevant studies identified. These were reviewed to build a thematic and contextual account of urban Indigenous homelessness. Eight key themes were evident, which encompass different cultural understandings of housing and mobility, as well as complex and often traumatic relationships between settler states and Indigenous peoples. Individually and collectively, these factors greatly complicate Indigenous peoples' access to safe, affordable and adequate urban housing. Broad similarities between the three case study countries suggest opportunities for further comparative research as well as policy transfer.