Government-funded specialist homelessness services: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2010-11: New South Wales

Summary

This publication is one of eight state and territory supplements that accompany the 2010–11 annual report on the use of government-funded specialist homelessness services in Australia (AIHW 2011a). Information to aid readers in interpreting the data is presented in the national report and appendixes (AIHW 2011i).

In line with the national picture, service users in New South Wales:

• were mostly female
•  were often relatively young
• were mostly non-Indigenous, however, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were over-represented relative to their population size
• commonly sought support because of interpersonal relationship, financial, or accommodation-related issues
• immediately on exit from support, were most often living in a house or flat; were not employed; and had a government pension or benefit as their main source of income.

Some other points of interest in New South Wales were:

• the rate of use of specialist homelessness services was lower than the national average
• clients were supported and accommodated for relatively long periods, with the lengths of support and accommodation being longer than the national average.