Government-funded specialist homelessness services: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2010-11: Queensland

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 Queensland:

• 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 Queensland were:

• the rate of use of specialist homelessness services was lower than the national average

• it was more common for clients to seek support primarily because of financial reasons than in other jurisdictions

• it was less common for clients to seek support primarily because of domestic or family violence than it was nationally

• renting privately both before and after support was much higher in Queensland than it was in the other states and territories.