The Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia says it is very concerned about the levels of homelessness in the country among people born overseas.
Over 116,000 people were homeless in Australia on Census Night in 2016.
It marked, essentially, a 14 per cent rise in four years.
Almost half were living in severely crowded dwellings, homes which would need an extra four or more bedrooms to adequately accommodate the number of people living there.
That marked a 23 per cent rise between 2011 and 2016.
And the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Dr Paul Jelfs says recent migrants appear particularly vulnerable.
"About 15 per cent of that population are homeless, with two-thirds of those people basically in overcrowded conditions."
Bureau statistics show the number of migrants living in severely crowded dwellings has doubled in four years.
Melbourne's Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre helps new arrivals find accommodation.
Its manager of settlement and family services, Wendy Cisar, (SEE-zar) says lack of employment, or steady employment, can make it hard for migrants to secure suitable housing.
The chairwoman of Homelessness Australia, Jenny Smith, said that when you've got significant numbers of adults who may or may not be related and children who may or may not be related, obviously, you can't maintain the sorts of privacy and boundary arrangements that we would expect.
VincentCare Victoria chief executive John Blewonski (blu-ON-ski) says sleeping on the streets can become a way out.
"Often, the result -- the transition to rough sleeping -- is actually when that housing situation breaks down, when it becomes intolerable for an individual and they either have to or want to escape that situation."
Homelessness Australia statistics show organisations across the country will turn away around 250 people tonight, unable to find them a bed.
