Specialist homelessness services client pathways: analysis insights

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Specialist Homelessness Services Collection (SHS) includes information about clients receiving homelessness services support from 1 July 2011 onwards.

Data has been analysed to examine service usage patterns and demographics for specific cohorts.

Clients of SHS experiencing persistent homelessness are defined as those who have been homeless for more than seven months in the preceding 24-month period (that is, at least 30 per cent of the time).

Select Statistics

• In 2019–20, 56 per cent of clients who experienced persistent homelessness were female and 51 per cent were under 25 years old.
• Around half (51 per cent) of the persistent homelessness cohort had been couch-surfing and one-third (33 per cent) were rough sleeping at some time during the defining period.
• In 2019–20, clients experiencing persistent homelessness were around four times more likely to need assistance for physical disability services compared with the non-persistent cohort.
• The persistent homelessness cohort were more likely to receive accommodation (of any type) (74 per cent) compared with the non-persistent cohort (47 per cent), especially medium-term accommodation.

Study Cohorts

Each study cohort examines the characteristics and experiences of a group of specialist homelessness services (SHS) clients and provides valuable insights into the support profile of vulnerable client groups over time.

• Specialist homelessness service clients.
• Repeat homelessness.
• Children and young people.
• Client vulnerabilities.
• Indigenous Australians.
• Family, domestic and sexual violence.
• Older people.

Summary

There were nearly 26,900 clients in the 2019–20 persistent homelessness cohort. Half had used services in the past and over 43 per cent continued to use services into the future. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of clients experiencing persistent homelessness were long-term clients.

These clients had similar age and sex profiles to other clients experiencing homelessness who were not experiencing persistent homelessness. However the persistent homelessness cohort were much more likely to receive accommodation (of any type) (74 per cent compared with 47 per cent for the non-persistent group), especially medium-term accommodation.

When compared to non-PHL cohort, clients experienced persistent homelessness in 2019–20 were more likely to need services such as physical disability services, intellectual disability services, counselling for problem gambling, psychiatric services and training assistance.

Report

Read the Specialist homelessness services client pathways: Clients experiencing persistent homelessness in 2019–20 Web article here.