An estimated 157,200 people received accommodation or other
support services for the homeless in 2004-05 through the Supported
Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) -the major government
response to homelessness in Australia - and of these 56,800 were
children, according to a series of reports released today by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Very young children had the highest rate of use with one in
every 51 children aged 0-4 years accompanying a parent or guardian
to a SAAP agency at some time during 2004-05.
Older teens (18-19 year olds) also had a relatively high usage
rate, with one in every 70 people in this age group using a SAAP
service during 2004-05. The rate was higher for teenage girls than
boys, with one in every 56 females aged 18-19 years accessing
services.
While domestic violence (20%), financial difficulty (12%), and
usual accommodation being unavailable (11%) were the most common
reasons given for seeking support overall, the reasons for seeking
assistance varied according to age and gender.
Women aged 25 years and over without children, and women with
children, cited domestic violence as their main reason for seeking
assistance in 40% and 49% of support periods respectively.
Women aged under 25 years without children most often reported
family or relationship breakdown (20%) followed by their usual
accommodation being unavailable (13%) as their main reasons for
seeking assistance.
Men in this age group most often cited their usual accommodation
being unavailable (19%) followed by relationship or family
breakdown or ending of previous accommodation (both 15%) as their
main reasons for seeking support.
Males aged 25 years and over most commonly cited financial
difficulty (17%), followed by drug, alcohol or substance abuse
(14%).
For those who were able to access SAAP assistance, the majority
of their expressed needs were met, with agencies directly providing
services for 90% of requests and referring clients to other
organisations to meet a further 6% of requests.
'Provision of services was particularly high for basic support
such as meals and shower facilities, (98%), and general support and
advocacy services, (96%),' said Felicity Murdoch of the AIHW's
Supported Accommodation and Crisis Services Unit.
Specialist services such as interpreter services, pregnancy
support, or psychiatric services, were provided directly in 71% of
cases and a further 22% were referred.
Indigenous people remain greatly overrepresented in the system,
with Indigenous clients accounting for 16% of all SAAP clients
compared with only 2% of the Australian population.
27 January 2006
Further information: Ms Felicity Murdoch, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1018 or 0407 915 851
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of the Homeless People in
SAAP report.