Homeless and other disadvantaged people are increasingly turning to social media and crowdfunding to access donations, as mainstream services struggle to cope with an increase in demand.
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Instead of begging on the street, destitute people are using crowdfunding platforms such as Pozible and Oz Crowd to survive on the streets. They are also placing ads on Gumtree, seeking free or low-cost accommodation.
In one recent case, "Kath" raised $2600 on Pozible to buy a car refrigerator and battery last year. Her campaign was successful, but others have not done as well.
While charities and good Samaritans have in the past turned to crowdsourcing to fund their own initiatives to support homeless people, it is only recently that those in need have been going online themselves to ask for help.
Sarah Toohey, policy and communications manager at the Council to Homeless Persons, said the increasing demand for support services meant homeless and at-risk people were needing to use multiple ways to get help.
"Social media is being used by more and more people to find solutions and address needs, from raising money to pursue creative projects, to finding a flatmate," she said.
"It's unsurprising that people in crisis are using social media to address their immediate needs, such as finding cheap housing or seeking donations to help get them out of debt."
Gumtree features dozens of ads from homeless people throughout Australia seeking help for their desperate situations.
Homeless people's access to technology and the internet is not as restricted as it once was.
Research released by the University of Sydney last year revealed that 95 per cent of homeless people surveyed inMelbourne and Sydney had a mobile phone. Almost half said they had either been given the handset or had stolen it.
The report states that mobile phones were essential for homeless people's survival and safety. They were used primarily to contact emergency and support services, medical assistance and to look for work.
Ms Toohey said: "These isolated incidents of crowdsourcing for housing and other means of survival are evidence of the changing use of technology and the measures that people go to when they are in desperate situations"
Emma King, chief executive of the Victorian Council of Social Services, said the trend reflected the fact that funding for support services was not keeping pace with demand.
"People on the lists are turning to all sorts of options. Many homeless services are either at capacity or are having to turn people away," she said.
"It's a significant issue and it's only getting worse. We need government to address long-term issues."
