Overview
An estimated 157,200 Australians received substantial SAAP support at some time during 2004-05. Of these, 64% were adults and unaccompanied children, the remaining 36% were children accompanying adult clients (accompanying children). These clients received approximately 170,000 support periods.
A support period commences when a client begins to receive support from a SAAP agency, and ends when either the client or the agency terminates the relationship.
Indigenous clients
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were overrepresented as SAAP clients in 2004-05, making up only 2.3% of the total Australian population, and yet accounting for 16% of SAAP clients.
Indigenous females made more use of SAAP services than Indigenous males; approximately 11,500 Indigenous females accessed SAAP services in 2004-05, compared to 4,400 Indigenous males. Indigenous females accounted for 20% of all female SAAP clients, Indigenous males made up 11% of all male SAAP clients. In 2004-05, Indigenous females averaged more support periods per client than all female SAAP clients. Indigenous male clients on the other hand averaged less support periods per client than all male SAAP clients.
Of the estimated 170,000 support periods provided by SAAP agencies in 2004-05, 3.6% had a missing/not stated Indigenous status.
It should also be noted that the Indigenous status of accompanying children has only been collected since 1 July 2005, and the first data on this will be published for 2005-06.
Further Information
For more general information on SAAP services, see Homelessness.