1. This report analyses the experiences of 4,252 homeless people and 934 people who were at risk of homelessness. The research was carried out by the Centre for Applied Social Research at RMIT University, HomeGround Services and the Salvation Army Crisis Services. 2. The research found that 64 per cent of people had been homeless for one year or longer; 16 per cent had been homeless for three to 11 months; and 20 per cent had been homeless for less than three months. In the inner city many people are chronically homeless. 3. In the inner suburbs boarding houses have become an integral part of the system of emergency accommodation and welfare agencies often provide vouchers for boarding houses. In boarding houses, newly homeless people are introduced to long-term homeless people who often have a range of other problems. This enables newly homeless people to develop new social networks and become involved in the homeless sub-culture. In this sample, 85 per cent of the homeless had been in boarding houses. 4. One female respondent commented on what it felt like to go to a well-known boarding house for the first time: It was a shock to the system … It was a place where you’re too scared to stick your nose outside your door because there’s people arguing, there’s junkies everywhere, there’s needles everywhere, it was horrible … There were death threats, rape threats … (Jamie, 42, single). Another respondent talked about another inner city boarding house that is used by welfare agencies. She found it: ... gross ... dilapidated ... run down. I had a couple of incidents happen where someone woke me up about 2am by banging on the door. I was too scared to open it (Susan, 22, single parent). The harsh reality is that welfare agencies often refer homeless people to boarding houses because there is no alternative but the streets. 5. Two thirds of the long-term homeless in this sample had slept rough. Sleeping rough has a direct impact on physical appearance. John said: … I looked like a real rough nut … didn’t brush my hair, never had showers. I looked like a street person I suppose … I looked disgusting and everyone could see I’d changed. I ended up staying in this building. It had nothing in it, it had a mattress, it had no electricity (John, 27, couple). Tom, 32, said of one squat: ... we had no power or nothing … we had to do everything by candlelight, so we just sat in that little room and had fuck all blankets … just one mattress and trying to keep ourselves warm. 6. There is a link between substance use and homelessness. Two-fifths (43 per cent) of this sample had problems with substance use. However, the researchers found that 66 per cent had developed their problem after they became homelessness. Some people do enter the homeless population because of substance use issues, but most people engage in substance use after they have become homeless. 7. The researchers found that 30 per cent of the homeless had mental health issues. However, just over half (53 per cent) developed mental health problems after becoming homeless.