Homelessness FAQs
Recent releases
Demand for SAAP accommodation by homeless people 2007-08: summary (28 May 2009) (media release and publication)
Homeless people in SAAP: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2007-08, Australia (3 April 2009) (media release and publication)
Popular titles
Australia's welfare 2009 (17 November 2009) (media release and publication)
Australia's health 2008 (24 June 2008) (media release and publication)
Quick links
- What is the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP)?
- What is the National Data Collection Agency (NDCA)?
- How many homeless people are there in Australia?
- How many people receive SAAP support in Australia?
- Does SAAP support all homeless people in Australia?
- Who is classified as 'homeless' and how is it defined?
Questions
What is the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP)?SAAP was developed to help people who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. It provides them with temporary accommodation and other related services. Its goal is to help people achieve self-reliance and independence. The SAAP homepage provides more information on the program.
What is the National Data Collection Agency (NDCA)?
The NDCA is a national information system that combines information from both SAAP agencies and state/territory and Commonwealth funding departments. It was set up to provide the information needed to assist in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of SAAP.
How many homeless people are there in Australia?
The ABS estimated that on Census night 2006, there were around 105,000 homeless people in Australia. For more information about how this is estimated see "Who is classified as 'homeless' and how is it defined" or read Counting the Homeless [external link] by the ABS.
How many people receive SAAP support in Australia?
This number changes every year. The SAAP NDCA collects information about the number of homeless people and people at risk of homelessness receiving SAAP assistance and their characteristics and circumstances. For detailed information, see the homelessness publications on this website.
Does SAAP support all homeless people in Australia?
No. While SAAP is the major government response to homelessness there are other programs (government and non-government) that assist homeless people. Additionally, SAAP is not available to some people, and others don’t seek assistance at all. For further information on how SAAP is used see the Demand for SAAP accommodation by homeless people report in homelessness publications.
Who is classified as "homeless" and how is it defined?
Defining who is homeless can be difficult. Different groups have proposed different definitions of homelessness based on a number of different circumstances. These range from a person having no shelter at all, to a person occupying shelter that compromises their health or safety.
The SAAP NCDA uses a definition of a homeless person called a ‘service
delivery’ definition of homelessness. This definition was developed specifically
to work out who needs access to SAAP services:
The ABS used this definition for the 2006 Census. The results showed that there were around 105,000 homeless people in Australia on Census night 2006.

