The rate of homelessness in the Northern Territory and Darwin is staggering when compared to the nation. Research on homelessness, or 'staying in the Long Grass', has highlighted the negative effects it has on health, wellbeing and quality of life. After the Federal Government announced its Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) the homelessness rate rapidly increased in Darwin, indicating that the NTER may be a structural driver of Aboriginal homelessness and internal displacement. This study seeks to address the obvious need to monitor homelessness and examine its broader social implications in order to contribute to policy development and service delivery among this population. As well as undertaking a literature review, the authors interviewed 550 participants through three stages of field work. The first stage explored the lived experiences of 122 homeless Aboriginal people. The second stage examined the level of trauma events and trauma symptoms of 60 homeless Aboriginals. The third stage gained an insight of 368 non-Indigenous members of mainstream Darwin society about people staying in the Long Grass.