The Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) is able to
accommodate large numbers of people each day, but some, especially
families with children, are still turned away.
'On an average day during the data collection period (one week
in May and one week in December) 12,335 people - 7,409 adults and
unaccompanied children and 4,927 accompanying children - were
housed in SAAP accommodation,' said Felicity Murdoch, of the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Supported
Accommodation and Crisis Services Unit.
Not everyone who needs a place to stay, however, is able to get
one, with an estimated 304 people who requested immediate
accommodation turned away on an average day - 193 adults and
unaccompanied children and 111 accompanying children.
In relation to the number of people making valid requests for
immediate accommodation on a given day, this means that over half
(56%) were turned away.
'In order to put those turn-away rates in perspective, it is
important to include the number of people continuing their SAAP
accommodation on an average day.
'Given the large numbers of people already accommodated in SAAP
each day, this means that only two in 100 people needing immediate
accommodation were unable to be accommodated, Ms Murdoch
explained.
People who had an unmet request for immediate accommodation were
more likely to be female (57% of all people), born in Australia
(93%), and not of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
background (71%).
The majority of adults who made a valid unmet request for
immediate SAAP accommodation were aged 20-44 years (52%).
The majority of children who accompanied a potential client were
under 12 years old (73%).
Families had more difficulty obtaining SAAP accommodation than
individuals, however, once in SAAP accommodation, family groups
tended to stay longer. This suggests that it is more difficult to
place families in the limited daily accommodation available.
Every year, the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program
conducts surveys of people turned away from SAAP-funded
accommodation for evaluation purposes.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) analyses
these survey results to provide a picture of Australia's major
government response to homelessness.
Findings are published annually by the AIHW in Demand for
SAAP accommodation by homeless people and Demand for SAAP
assistance by homeless people.
14 December 2006
Further information: Ms Felicity Murdoch, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1018 or mob. 0407 915 851 or Anne Giovanetti 02 6244
1206
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Demand for SAAP accommodation by
homeless people2004-05 and Demand for SAAP
assistance by homeless people 2004-05.