Government-funded specialist
homelessness services
SAAP National Data Collection
annual report
2009–10

Australia
Appendix
June 2011

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is Australia’s national
health and welfare statistics and information agency. The Institute’s mission is
 better information and statistics for better health and wellbeing.
© Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be directed to the Head of the Communications, Media and Marketing Unit, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, GPO Box 570, Canberra ACT 2601.
A complete list of the Institute’s publications is available from the Institute’s website <www.aihw.gov.au>. 
ISSN 1445-503X
ISBN 978-1-74249-160-8
Suggested citation
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2011. Government-funded specialist homelessness services: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2009–10: Australia appendix. 
Cat. no. HOU 238. Canberra: AIHW.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Board Chair
Hon. Peter Collins, AM, QC
Director 
David Kalisch
Any enquiries about or comments on this publication should be directed to:
Communications, Media and Marketing Unit 
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
GPO Box 570
Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: (02) 6244 1032
Email: info@aihw.gov.au
Published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Please note that there is the potential for minor revisions of data in this report.
Please check the online version at <www.aihw.gov.au> for any amendments.
Contents
Appendix 1	Data tables
Appendix 2	The SAAP National Data Collection
Appendix 3	Weighting
Appendix 4	Interpretation of tables
Appendix 5	Counting rules and glossary
Appendix 6	Abbreviations and symbols
Appendix 7	Client Collection form
List of tables

Appendix 1	Data tables
Table A1: Funding to agencies, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Reporting period	Funded agencies
(number)	Agreement
funding
($’000)	Additional
state/territory
funding
($’000)	Total allocation
($’000)	Mean
funding per
agency
($’000)	
2006–07	1,539	340,821	26,440	367,261	239	
2007–08	1,562	356,456	27,491	383,947	246	
2008–09	1,532	397,823	8,070	405,892	265	
2009–10	1,559	438,399	4,197	442,596	284	
Notes
1.	Inclusion or exclusion of agencies from the SAAP NDC is determined by the state and territory governments responsible for administering the government response to homelessness. 
2.	Not all funded agencies are required to participate in data collection (see Table A2).
3.	Funding to agencies excludes funds not allocated directly to agencies, such as funds allocated for administration and training.
4.	‘Agreement funding’ refers to funding provided jointly by the Australian Government and the state and territory governments under the following agreements: from 1 July 2006 to 31 December 2008, ‘agreement funding’ refers to funding provided under the SAAP V Agreement; from 1 January 2009 to 30 June 2009, ‘agreement funding’ refers to funding provided under the NAHA; from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010, ‘agreement funding’ refers to funding provided under the NAHA, NPAH and other national partnership agreements. Not all jurisdictions have included NPAH and other partnership agreement funding or agencies for the 2009–10 year.
5.	‘Additional state/territory funding’ refers to funding provided by the states and territories over and above the amounts determined in the above agreements.
6.	Agencies may also receive funding from other sources. This is not included.
7.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
Sources: Administrative Data and Client Collections.
Table A2: Client Collection: agency participation rates and records returned with informed consent and valid consent, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Reporting period	Participating
agencies(a
(number)	Agency
participation
rate (%)	Records
returned
(number)	Records
returned with
consent
(%)	Records
returned with
valid consent(b)
(%)	
2006–07	1,456	87.2	192,591	87.2	81.1	
2007–08	1,444	92.1	202,835	88.6	82.5	
2008–09	1,433	93.7	199,277	90.2	85.0	
2009–10	1,434	93.3	215,812	90.0	85.2	
(a)	‘Agencies’ refers to the number of agencies that should have been participating in the reference period. Refer to Appendix 5. Not all funded agencies are required to participate in the Client Collection (see Table 1.1). Consequently, some funded agencies are not included in this table.
(b)	‘Valid consent’ here refers to records with a valid statistical linkage key (refer to Appendix 5). 
Notes
1.	Table based on records returned from participating agencies during the reference period.
2.	Inclusion or exclusion of agencies from the SAAP NDC is determined by the state and territory governments responsible for administering the government response to homelessness.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
Sources: Administrative Data and Client Collections.

Table A3: Total support for clients and accompanying children, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Reporting period	Total periods of
support	Total people
supported	People per 10,000
population	Average periods of
support per person	
2006–07	307,000	187,900	91	1.63	
2007–08	327,600	202,500	96	1.62	
2008–09	323,600	204,900	95	1.58	
2009–10	351,200	219,900	100	1.60	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0.
2.	‘Per 10,000 population’ shows how many people out of every 10,000 in the population used government-funded specialist homelessness services. The rate is estimated by comparing the number of clients and accompanying children in the reporting year with the estimated resident population at the start of the reporting year. Note that this may not match data reported in previous reports due to adjustments in ABS population estimates.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Sources: Client Collection; ABS 2010a.
Table A4: Support periods and clients, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Support periods (number)	207,700	220,300	212,400	230,700	
With accommodation(a)(b) (per cent)	38.2	34.4	32.7	28.8	
Without accommodation (per cent)	61.8	65.6	67.3	71.2	
Daily average support periods (number)	29,700	34,200	36,500	40,800	
Nightly average support periods with accommodation (number)	8,800	9,100	8,400	9,100	
Clients (number)	118,800	125,600	125,800	135,700	
Per 10,000 population aged 10+ years(c) (number)	65	67	66	70	
Clients with one period of support (per cent)	72.8	72.7	72.6	72.8	
Mean number of support periods per client	1.75	1.75	1.69	1.70	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report). If Victoria is excluded from the calculations, the proportion of support periods with accommodation was: 49% in 2006-07; 42% in 2007–08; 42% in 2008–09; and 38% in 2009–10.
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
(c)	‘Per 10,000 population aged 10+ years’ shows how many people out of every 10,000 aged 10 years and over in the population became a client. The rate per 10,000 population is estimated by comparing the number of clients aged 10 years and over in the reporting year with the estimated resident population aged 10 years and over at the start of the reporting year. Note that this may not match data reported in previous reports due to adjustments in ABS population estimates.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0 clients and support periods; 2,456 nightly support periods with accommodation in 2006–07, 1,450 in 2007–08, 3,773 in 2008–09, 2,014 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Support period figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
4.	Client figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Sources: Client Collection; ABS 2010a.

Table A5: Accompanying child support periods and accompanying children, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Accompanying child support periods (number)	99,300	107,300	111,200	120,400	
With accommodation(a)(b)(c) (per cent)	39.3	35.3	31.4	28.7	
Without accommodation (per cent)	60.7	64.7	68.6	71.3	
Daily average accompanying child support periods (number)	18,500	21,800	23,800	26,300	
Nightly average accompanying child support periods with accommodation (number)	6,500	6,700	6,200	7,100	
Accompanying children (number)	69,100	76,900	79,100	84,100	
Per 10,000 population aged 0–17 years(d) (number)	141	155	158	166	
Accompanying children with one period of support (per cent)	79.2	82.1	80.0	79.3	
Mean number of accompanying child support periods per accompanying child	1.43	1.39	1.40	1.43	
(a)	Dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children. For the purposes of calculating the number of accompanying child support periods with and without a period of accommodation, accompanying children are assumed to be accommodated if their parent or guardian was accommodated.
(b)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report).. If Victoria is excluded from the calculations, the proportion of accompanying child support periods with accommodation was: 44% in 2006-07; 40% in 2007–08; 38% in 2008–09; and 36% in 2009–10.
(c)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
(d)	‘Per 10,000 population aged 0–17 years’ shows how many people out of every 10,000 aged 17 years and under in the population accompanied a client. The rate per 10,000 population is estimated by comparing the number of accompanying children aged 17 years and under  in the reporting year with the estimated resident population aged 17 years and under at the start of the reporting year. Note that this may not match data reported in previous reports due to adjustments in ABS population estimates.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0 accompanying child support periods and accompanying children; 929 nightly accompanying child support periods with accommodation in 2006–07, 723 in 2007–08, 2,330 in 2008–09, 996 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Accompanying child support period figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
4.	Accompanying children figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Sources: Client Collection; ABS 2010a.

Table A6: Clients: age by sex, 2009–10 (per cent)
Age	Percentage of all clients		Percentage of sex group		Total	
	Male	Female		Male	Female		Per cent	Number	
Under 15 years	1.0	1.7		2.7	2.8		2.8	3,800	
15–19 years	6.5	10.5		17.2	17.0		17.1	23,200	
20–24 years	4.8	10.0		12.7	16.2		14.8	20,100	
25–29 years	3.8	8.2		9.9	13.3		12.0	16,300	
30–34 years	4.2	7.9		11.1	12.7		12.1	16,400	
35–39 years	4.7	7.9		12.2	12.7		12.5	17,000	
40–44 years	4.1	6.0		10.7	9.7		10.1	13,700	
45–49 years	3.4	4.1		8.8	6.6		7.4	10,100	
50–54 years	2.3	2.5		6.0	4.0		4.8	6,500	
55–59 years	1.4	1.4		3.7	2.3		2.8	3,800	
60–64 years	0.9	0.8		2.3	1.3		1.7	2,300	
65 years and over	1.0	0.9		2.6	1.5		1.9	2,600	
Total	38.0	62.0		100.0	100.0		100.0	. .	
Total (number)	51,600	84,100		51,600	84,100		. .	135,700	
Mean age (years)	. .	. .		33.9	31.4		. .	32.3	
Median age (years)	. .	. .		33	30		. .	31	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0.
2.	Clients aged 0–17 years: 16,600 (6,400 males, 10,200 females).
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A7: Clients: rate per 10,000 population aged 10 years and over by age and sex and mean and median age of all clients by sex, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
	Clients aged 10+ years		All clients	
Reporting period	Under 15
years	15–19
years	20–24
years	25–44
years	45–64
years	65+
years	Total	Mean
age
(years)	Median
age
(years)	
	Male clients	
2006–07	10	111	80	72	33	10	51	33.2	32	
2007–08	11	115	80	71	35	9	52	33.2	32	
2008–09	12	112	79	68	35	9	51	33.2	32	
2009–10	12	115	79	72	39	10	54	33.9	33	
	Female clients	
2006–07	19	198	160	120	34	7	79	30.7	29	
2007–08	21	204	165	126	37	7	83	30.8	29	
2008–09	21	199	166	123	38	7	81	30.8	29	
2009–10	19	197	174	130	43	8	86	31.4	30	
	All clients	
2006–07	15	154	119	96	33	8	65	31.6	30	
2007–08	16	158	122	98	36	8	67	31.7	30	
2008–09	16	154	121	95	36	8	66	31.7	30	
2009–10	15	154	125	101	41	9	70	32.3	31	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0.
2.	The rate per 10,000 population is estimated by comparing the number of clients aged 10 years and over in the reporting year with the estimated resident population aged 10 years and over at the start of the reporting year. Note this may not match data reported in previous reports due to adjustments in ABS population estimates.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection; ABS 2010a.

Table A8: Accompanying children: age, by sex, 2009–10
Age	Percentage of
all accompanying children		Percentage of
sex group		Total	
	Male	Female		Male	Female		Per cent	Number	
0–4 years	22.4	21.6		44.7	43.5		44.1	37,100	
5–9 years	14.1	13.7		28.1	27.6		27.9	23,500	
10–14 years	10.0	10.4		19.9	20.9		20.4	17,200	
15–17 years	3.7	3.9		7.3	7.9		7.6	6,400	
Total	50.3	49.7		100.0	100.0		100.0	. .	
Total (number)	42,300	41,800		42,300	41,800		. .	84,100	
Mean age (years)	. .	. .		6.3	6.4		. .	6.3	
Median age (years)	. .	. .		5	6		. .	5	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0.
2.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A9: Accompanying children: rate per 10,000 population aged 0–17 years by age and mean and median age, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Reporting period	0–4
years	5–9
years	10–14
years	15–17
years	Total	Mean age
(years)	Median age
(years)	
2006–07	236	147	102	50	141	6.2	5	
2007–08	254	163	112	61	155	6.2	5	
2008–09	254	163	115	66	158	6.3	5	
2009–10	260	173	122	73	166	6.3	5	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0.
2.	The rate per 10,000 population is estimated by comparing the number of accompanying children aged 17 years and under in the reporting year with the estimated resident population aged 17 years and under at the start of the reporting year. Note this may not match data reported in previous reports due to adjustments in ABS population estimates.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection; ABS 2010a.

Table A10: Clients: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status by sex, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
	Male clients	
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	13.2	13.0	13.7	13.6	
Non-Indigenous	86.8	87.0	86.3	86.4	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	42,200	45,200	45,100	48,900	
	Female clients	
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	21.5	20.9	20.5	20.6	
Non-Indigenous	78.5	79.1	79.5	79.4	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	67,700	73,700	74,300	80,100	
	All clients	
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	18.3	17.9	18.0	18.0	
Non-Indigenous	81.7	82.1	82.0	82.0	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	109,900	118,900	119,500	129,000	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 8,911 in 2006–07; 6,686 in 2007–08; 6,338 in 2008–09; 6,705 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A11: Accompanying children: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	27.0	26.1	25.1	25.6	
Non-Indigenous	73.0	73.9	74.9	74.4	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	65,600	73,300	74,300	79,200	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 3,506 in 2006–07; 3,645 in 2007–08; 4,749 in 2008–09; 4,980 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A12: Clients: top 5 countries of birth in 2009–10, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Country of birth	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Australia (including external territories)	86.0	85.3	84.4	83.6	
New Zealand	2.1	2.0	2.2	2.3	
Sudan	1.0	1.2	1.2	1.2	
England	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	
Vietnam	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	
Other	9.4	10.0	10.6	11.3	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	114,800	120,700	121,100	130,500	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 4,093 in 2006–07; 4,839 in 2007–08; 4,752 in 2008–09; 5,200 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A13: Accompanying children: top 5 countries of birth in 2009–10, by reporting period, 
2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Country of birth	2006–07(a)	2007–08(b)	2008–09(c)	2009–10	
Australia (including external territories)	94.7	93.5	93.1	93.9	
New Zealand	1.0	1.0	1.3	1.0	
Sudan	1.0	1.5	1.4	1.0	
Kenya	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	
Somalia	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	
Other	2.9	3.6	3.8	3.7	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	66,800	74,400	75,700	80,400	
(a)	In 2006–07 the top 5 countries of birth were: Australia 94.7%; Sudan 1.0%; New Zealand 1.0%; Vietnam 0.2%; and Ethiopia 0.2%.
(b)	In 2007–08 the top 5 countries of birth were: Australia 93.5%; Sudan 1.5%; New Zealand 1.0%; Somalia 0.2%; and Vietnam 0.2%.
(c)	In 2008–09 the top 5 countries of birth were: Australia 93.1%; Sudan 1.4%; New Zealand 1.3%; Somalia 0.3%; and Kenya 0.2%.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 2,291 in 2006–07; 2,531 in 2007–08; 3,318 in 2008–09; 3,778 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A14: Support periods: client group, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Client group	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Male alone, under 25	10.9	11.1	10.9	10.3	
Male alone, 25+	26.8	25.5	24.4	25.1	
Female alone, under 25	13.3	13.5	13.2	12.6	
Female alone, 25+	18.5	18.6	17.4	18.1	
Couple no children	2.7	2.9	3.3	3.5	
Couple with children	3.7	4.1	4.8	4.8	
Male with children	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.6	
Female with children	22.3	22.3	23.4	23.1	
Other	0.5	0.6	1.1	1.0	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	203,100	214,800	208,500	227,100	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 4,558 in 2006–07; 5,548 in 2007–08; 3,877 in 2008–09; 3,609 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A15: Support periods: main reason for seeking assistance, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Main reason for seeking assistance	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Interpersonal relationships	44.8	44.0	44.6	43.7	
Time out from family/other situation	7.9	7.4	7.5	7.4	
Relationship/family breakdown	9.8	10.2	10.4	10.1	
Interpersonal conflict	2.7	2.8	2.7	2.5	
Sexual abuse	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.5	
Domestic/family violence	22.4	21.6	22.0	22.0	
Physical/emotional abuse	1.4	1.4	1.2	1.2	
Financial	13.9	14.1	13.3	15.9	
Gambling	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	
Budgeting problems	4.3	4.6	4.1	5.1	
Rent too high	0.9	1.1	1.4	1.3	
Other financial difficulty	8.5	8.1	7.6	9.2	
Accommodation	18.3	19.4	19.6	19.0	
Overcrowding issues	2.6	2.9	3.3	3.2	
Eviction/asked to leave	6.9	7.1	6.9	6.6	
Emergency accommodation ended	3.1	2.8	2.1	2.3	
Previous accommodation ended	5.7	6.6	7.2	6.9	
Health	9.4	9.3	8.8	7.9	
Mental health issues	1.8	1.8	1.8	1.9	
Problematic drug/alcohol/substance use	5.7	5.5	5.0	4.2	
Psychiatric illness	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.7	
Other health issues	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.1	
Other reasons	13.5	13.2	13.8	13.5	
Gay/lesbian/transgender issues	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.2	
Recently left institution	1.2	1.4	1.4	1.2	
Recent arrival to area with no means of support	3.1	2.8	2.6	2.1	
Itinerant	2.4	2.4	2.8	2.6	
Other	6.7	6.5	6.7	7.3	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	199,300	211,800	205,000	222,100	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 8,444 in 2006–07; 8,491 in 2007–08; 7,409 in 2008–09; 8,618 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A16: Support periods: main reason for seeking assistance, by client group, 2009–10 (per cent)
Main reason for
seeking assistance	Male
alone
under 25	Male alone 25+	Female
alone
under 25	Female
alone
25+	Couple
no
children	Couple
with
children	Male
with
children	Female
with
children	Other	
Interpersonal relationships	41.8	17.0	59.1	55.3	23.6	18.2	29.5	64.2	51.2	
Time out from family/
other situation	12.0	7.3	13.3	5.7	6.3	4.3	3.6	4.5	6.0	
Relationship/
family breakdown	21.1	5.2	21.1	5.1	8.1	6.6	18.0	8.5	15.5	
Interpersonal conflict	4.7	2.3	3.8	2.0	2.9	2.2	2.1	1.4	3.3	
Sexual abuse	0.3	0.1	1.5	0.6	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.5	0.7	
Domestic/family violence	3.1	1.7	17.7	40.1	5.2	4.4	4.9	47.7	24.2	
Physical/emotional abuse	0.7	0.5	1.7	1.7	1.0	0.5	0.7	1.6	1.5	
Financial	11.7	25.2	8.1	15.7	22.8	23.8	22.3	9.8	5.6	
Gambling	0.2	0.6	—	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	—	—	
Budgeting problems	3.6	8.5	2.1	4.3	8.1	8.4	6.8	3.4	1.1	
Rent too high	0.7	1.1	0.6	1.2	2.3	3.9	2.9	1.6	1.6	
Other financial difficulty	7.2	15.0	5.4	10.0	12.2	11.4	12.4	4.8	3.0	
Accommodation	22.8	18.4	17.4	11.2	31.2	42.1	32.0	17.6	21.2	
Overcrowding issues	2.9	1.0	3.2	1.1	6.7	11.4	7.6	5.0	3.7	
Eviction/asked to leave	8.3	5.1	6.1	3.9	11.2	17.3	11.3	6.5	8.8	
Emergency accommodation ended	3.0	3.4	2.1	1.7	3.4	2.8	2.4	1.4	1.4	
Previous 
accommodation ended	8.6	9.0	6.0	4.5	9.8	10.6	10.6	4.7	7.3	
Health	5.9	19.2	3.4	7.0	5.8	2.6	3.9	1.7	5.0	
Mental health issues	1.8	3.7	1.4	2.3	0.9	0.7	1.2	0.4	1.0	
Problematic drug/alcohol/substance use	3.3	11.5	1.2	2.8	2.8	0.6	1.1	0.6	3.1	
Psychiatric illness	0.4	1.9	0.2	0.7	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.2	
Other health issues	0.4	2.1	0.6	1.2	1.8	1.2	1.2	0.6	0.6	
Other reasons	17.8	20.3	12.0	10.8	16.6	13.3	12.4	6.7	17.0	
Gay/lesbian/
transgender issues	1.0	0.1	0.8	0.1	—	—	—	—	—	
Recently left institution	2.7	2.4	0.6	0.9	0.5	0.3	1.1	0.2	0.5	
Recent arrival to area with no means of support	2.1	3.6	1.4	1.3	3.5	3.8	2.3	1.0	1.9	
Itinerant	3.4	4.4	2.5	1.8	3.6	1.6	2.2	1.2	2.6	
Other	8.6	9.9	6.8	6.7	9.0	7.5	6.8	4.3	12.0	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	22,600	54,500	27,900	39,900	7,700	10,600	3,500	51,300	1,900	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 10,869.
2.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A17: Closed support periods: length of support, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 
(per cent)
Length of support	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
1 week or less	50.6	47.0	43.9	46.6	
>1 week–1 month	17.2	15.8	16.2	14.3	
>1–3 months	18.4	21.4	22.5	21.5	
>3–6 months	7.1	8.2	9.0	9.0	
>6 months	6.7	7.5	8.5	8.5	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	177,900	187,000	176,800	188,400	
Mean length (days)	50	56	63	64	
Median length (days)	7	10	14	11	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 0.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A18: Closed support periods: mean and median length of support by client group, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (days)
Client group	Mean		Median	
	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Male alone, under 25	55	62	65	71	12	16	17	18	
Male alone, 25+	33	39	40	45	3	4	5	3	
Female alone, under 25	61	69	72	74	13	18	21	21	
Female alone, 25+	34	44	48	47	2	4	7	5	
Couple no children	57	69	63	64	20	27	25	20	
Couple with children	97	102	105	93	40	44	42	39	
Male with children	80	85	96	74	30	35	36	28	
Female with children	68	73	83	85	18	25	30	28	
Other	89	103	112	108	18	29	40	31	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 3,486 in 2006–07; 3,930 in 2007–08; 2,808 in 2008–09; 2,407 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A19: Closed support periods in which clients were accommodated(a)(b): total length of accommodation, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Length of accommodation	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
1 day to 1 week	44.2	41.7	39.7	39.5	
>1 week–1 month	25.2	24.1	24.0	23.2	
>1–3 months	17.6	19.8	21.3	21.3	
>3–6 months	6.1	7.3	7.3	7.8	
>6 months	6.9	7.2	7.6	8.2	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	62,200	56,600	49,200	47,800	
Mean length (days)	50	54	57	60	
Median length (days)	10	12	13	14	
Accommodation starting and ending on the same date (number)	4,300	6,700	6,000	5,200	
Total closed support periods with accommodation (number)	66,600	63,400	55,200	53,000	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report). If Victoria is excluded from the calculations: in 2006–07 the mean length of accommodation was 42 days, the median length of accommodation was 9 days; in 2007–08 the mean length of accommodation was 48 days, the median length of accommodation was 10 days; in 2008–09 the mean length of accommodation was 54 days, the median length of accommodation was 12 days; and in 2009–10 the mean length of accommodation was 57 days, the median length of accommodation was 13 days.
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 2,287 in 2006–07; 1,302 in 2007–08; 3,057 in 2008–09; 1,720 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A20: Closed support periods in which clients were accommodated(a)(b): mean and median length of accommodation by client group, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (days)
Client group	Mean		Median	
	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Male alone, under 25	44	48	47	56	11	13	13	14	
Male alone, 25+	37	41	41	44	9	11	12	12	
Female alone, under 25	51	55	54	59	11	13	13	13	
Female alone, 25+	35	41	41	42	7	7	8	8	
Couple no children	66	84	61	69	16	23	14	18	
Couple with children	148	165	167	157	87	94	91	97	
Male with children	123	137	144	129	70	84	75	69	
Female with children	65	70	79	81	15	18	22	21	
Other	114	108	104	92	41	33	18	21	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report).
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 3,214 in 2006–07; 2,376 in 2007–08; 3,950 in 2008–09; 2,521 in 2009–10.
2.	Table excludes accommodation that started and ended on the same date.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A21: Closed support periods: type of support required by clients, by reporting period, 
2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Type of support	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Housing/accommodation	63.1	61.4	63.0	58.3	
SAAP/CAP accommodation(a)(b)(c)	45.0	41.2	39.1	35.0	
Assistance to obtain/maintain short-term accommodation	14.2	14.1	18.9	19.0	
Assistance to obtain/maintain medium-term accommodation	9.8	10.9	10.5	10.0	
Assistance to obtain/maintain independent housing	22.2	22.8	26.4	25.3	
Financial/employment	39.5	38.9	40.4	41.6	
Assistance to obtain/maintain government allowance	8.7	9.0	12.5	10.7	
Employment and training assistance	5.5	5.4	6.0	6.4	
Financial assistance/material aid	32.3	31.2	31.9	34.7	
Financial counselling and support	8.9	9.4	10.3	8.9	
Personal support	57.6	54.7	57.6	58.1	
Incest/sexual assault	2.1	2.0	1.9	1.1	
Domestic/family violence	20.5	19.9	21.2	21.3	
Family/relationship	14.7	16.3	16.6	15.6	
Emotional support	50.8	48.6	51.1	51.7	
Assistance with problem gambling	0.7	0.5	0.4	0.3	
General support/advocacy	78.4	79.0	78.6	78.5	
Living skills/personal development	17.1	17.0	18.7	17.3	
Assistance with legal issues/court support	10.2	10.1	10.3	10.9	
Advice/information	70.9	71.5	71.7	71.0	
Retrieval/storage/removal of belongings	16.0	15.0	15.6	14.6	
Advocacy/liaison on behalf of client	36.4	37.3	40.8	42.6	
Specialist services	30.0	26.2	27.2	25.6	
Psychological services	6.3	4.7	4.6	4.6	
Specialist counselling services	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.6	
Psychiatric services	2.7	2.6	2.4	2.5	
Pregnancy support	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2	
Family planning support	1.1	1.1	0.9	0.9	
Drug/alcohol support or intervention	7.3	6.2	7.4	6.5	
Physical disability services	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	
Intellectual disability services	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	
Culturally specific services	5.7	5.2	5.6	5.8	
Interpreter services	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.4	
Assistance with immigration services	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.9	
Health/medical services	13.6	11.6	11.9	11.5	
Basic support/other n.e.s.	49.2	47.4	49.1	49.3	
Meals	33.7	31.2	32.0	29.5	
Laundry/shower facilities	31.7	28.3	28.4	26.3	
Recreation	17.9	16.2	16.5	16.0	
Transport	21.9	20.7	21.2	21.2	
Other	11.2	12.5	16.1	18.4	
No needs recorded	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.6	
Total (number)	172,400	181,000	171,200	180,900	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report).. If Victoria is excluded from the calculations, the proportion of closed support periods in which ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ was required was 58% in 2006–07; 51% in 2007–08; 51% in 2008–09; and 47% in 2009–10.
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
(c)	‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ refers to what is now known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted) (closed support periods with no information on support requirements or provision): 5,540 in 2006–07; 5,945 in 2007–08; 5,607 in 2008–09; 7,556 in 2009–10.
2.	Clients were able to receive multiple types of support, so the percentages do not add to 100.
3.	A client may require more than one type of support within a broad type of assistance. 
4.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
5.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A22: Closed support periods: type of support required by clients, by client group, 2009–10 
(per cent)
Type of support	Male 
alone under 25	Male alone 
25+	Female alone under 25	Female alone 
25+	Couple no children	Couple with children	Male 
with children	Female with children	Other	
Housing/accommodation	69.6	53.8	65.8	46.2	63.5	69.7	63.8	64.5	59.3	
SAAP/CAP accommodation(a)(b)(c)	42.9	38.2	36.4	25.5	20.5	29.5	25.5	37.4	31.3	
Assistance to obtain/
maintain short-term accommodation	26.0	16.1	24.3	13.8	25.1	22.6	23.7	18.7	18.1	
Assistance to obtain/
maintain medium-term accommodation	16.0	9.0	15.0	4.7	9.9	13.3	11.1	10.3	7.7	
Assistance to obtain/
maintain independent housing	26.0	17.9	27.0	19.7	39.7	45.9	39.7	34.9	29.0	
Financial/employment	46.5	45.5	42.0	37.9	48.9	46.7	44.6	44.2	31.4	
Assistance to obtain/
maintain government allowance	17.3	8.5	15.2	8.4	7.6	6.7	6.0	12.6	8.0	
Employment and training assistance	15.8	3.9	12.8	3.4	6.1	6.3	4.5	4.7	7.5	
Financial assistance/material aid	33.8	40.3	31.1	33.0	42.2	40.2	39.4	37.8	22.7	
Financial counselling and support	11.7	6.2	10.1	7.1	11.0	15.5	11.1	11.3	7.7	
Personal support	55.0	40.5	65.4	65.5	46.9	55.0	48.9	76.4	62.1	
Incest/sexual assault	0.7	0.2	2.5	1.4	0.6	0.5	0.3	1.8	0.9	
Domestic/family violence	3.9	1.8	18.2	38.3	6.6	6.9	5.5	47.5	22.7	
Family/relationship	19.7	6.8	24.1	14.4	11.9	16.5	14.8	21.8	21.7	
Emotional support	51.0	38.9	57.9	56.8	44.0	50.5	45.1	66.5	50.2	
Assistance with problem gambling	0.4	0.6	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.1	
General support/advocacy	81.0	74.6	81.6	78.2	78.9	81.9	81.1	84.8	70.1	
Living skills/personal development	32.9	13.2	29.9	11.9	13.4	15.4	13.6	16.3	16.0	
Assistance with legal issues/court support	10.0	3.8	9.8	16.0	6.1	6.2	7.5	18.9	5.7	
Advice/information	72.4	66.7	72.8	71.0	73.0	76.5	76.6	79.2	63.1	
Retrieval/storage/removal of belongings	19.1	26.9	12.3	8.6	9.0	5.7	5.5	9.9	6.9	
Advocacy/liaison on behalf of client	44.4	33.5	45.9	46.0	47.6	51.2	49.0	54.6	45.8	
Specialist services	26.0	26.1	26.2	26.7	18.3	17.0	16.6	30.8	27.5	
Psychological services	4.6	4.8	4.7	5.6	3.4	2.5	3.6	4.5	6.5	
Specialist counselling services	5.1	2.7	7.3	8.6	3.5	4.2	5.1	12.3	6.5	
Psychiatric services	2.3	4.5	1.5	2.8	2.1	0.8	1.1	1.1	2.3	
Pregnancy support	0.1	—	2.9	0.5	2.3	2.3	0.2	2.5	4.1	
Family planning support	0.5	0.1	2.0	0.3	0.9	1.8	1.0	1.7	1.1	
Drug/alcohol support or intervention	10.8	11.0	5.5	5.2	4.6	3.2	3.9	3.0	4.1	
Physical disability services	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.6	
Intellectual disability services	0.7	0.2	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.5	
Culturally specific services	4.6	1.9	5.7	7.8	3.5	4.3	4.7	10.8	6.9	
Interpreter services	0.4	0.3	0.8	2.3	0.5	1.1	1.0	3.0	1.4	
Assistance with immigration services	0.2	0.2	0.9	1.6	0.2	0.5	0.3	2.0	0.9	
Health/medical services	13.5	14.8	12.8	9.5	8.8	7.0	4.6	11.5	9.4	
Basic support/other n.e.s.	56.6	58.9	51.9	43.4	36.4	32.2	30.8	46.2	38.8	
Meals	40.6	41.6	32.9	24.4	16.9	9.8	11.5	22.1	13.4	
Laundry/shower facilities	35.1	40.1	27.8	20.2	11.9	5.9	5.1	20.4	11.7	
Recreation	25.7	15.7	23.7	14.1	6.2	4.2	4.1	14.6	10.3	
Transport	30.8	12.3	31.1	19.3	15.1	13.9	11.6	26.1	17.0	
Other	15.6	21.7	15.7	19.1	14.6	15.3	16.3	22.0	19.9	
No needs recorded	0.6	0.3	0.5	0.5	1.0	1.1	0.7	0.7	1.3	
Total (number)	18,600	47,600	22,100	34,000	6,200	7,600	2,600	39,200	1,400	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report)..
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
(c)	‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ refers to what is now known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 9,323 (including those with no information on support requirements or provision).
2.	Clients were able to receive multiple types of support, so the percentages do not add to 100. 
3.	A client may require more than one type of support within a broad type of assistance. 
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection. 

Table A23: Type of support required by clients in closed support periods, by provision, 2009–10
Part a: Individual types of support required in closed support periods, by provision (percentage of closed support periods)
	Not provided		Provided		Closed
support
periods (number)	
Type of support	Neither
provided
nor
referred	Referred
only	Sub-total		Provided
only	Provided 
and referred	Sub-total	Total		
Housing/accommodation										
SAAP/CAP accommodation(a)(b)(c)	6.5	7.0	13.5		81.1	5.4	86.5	100.0	63,300	
Assistance to obtain/maintain 
short-term accommodation	7.1	9.3	16.4		61.4	22.2	83.6	100.0	34,300	
Assistance to obtain/maintain 
medium-term accommodation	11.6	10.1	21.7		50.2	28.1	78.3	100.0	18,100	
Assistance to obtain/maintain independent housing	7.0	8.5	15.5		62.7	21.8	84.5	100.0	45,700	
Financial/employment										
Assistance to obtain/maintain government allowance	4.6	7.7	12.3		64.0	23.6	87.6	100.0	19,300	
Employment and training assistance	13.7	15.0	28.7		46.2	25.1	71.3	100.0	11,600	
Financial assistance/material aid	2.2	4.5	6.7		82.4	10.9	93.3	100.0	62,800	
Financial counselling and support	8.1	12.1	20.2		60.2	19.6	79.8	100.0	16,100	
Personal support										
Incest/sexual assault	7.8	16.7	24.5		55.2	20.3	75.5	100.0	2,100	
Domestic/family violence	2.8	3.0	5.8		83.3	10.9	94.2	100.0	38,600	
Family/relationship	4.9	4.1	9.0		79.7	11.3	91.0	100.0	28,200	
Emotional support	1.5	0.5	2.0		92.8	5.2	98.0	100.0	93,600	
Assistance with problem gambling	15.1	15.5	30.6		48.9	20.5	69.4	100.0	600	
General support/advocacy										
Living skills/personal development	4.2	1.7	5.9		88.7	5.4	94.1	100.0	31,400	
Assistance with legal issues/
court support	4.8	10.9	15.7		54.9	29.4	84.3	100.0	19,700	
Advice/information	0.7	0.2	0.9		93.5	5.6	99.1	100.0	128,500	
Retrieval/storage/removal of belongings	2.1	1.5	3.6		93.0	3.4	96.4	100.0	26,300	
Advocacy/liaison on behalf of client	1.2	1.3	2.5		88.3	9.1	97.4	100.0	77,000	
Specialist services										
Psychological services	10.2	22.7	32.9		40.8	26.4	67.2	100.0	8,400	
Specialist counselling services	7.0	30.8	37.8		35.7	26.5	62.2	100.0	12,000	
Psychiatric services	14.6	31.5	46.1		39.2	14.7	53.9	100.0	4,500	
Pregnancy support	7.5	13.6	21.1		46.8	32.1	78.9	100.0	2,100	
Family planning support	9.2	16.2	25.4		49.3	25.3	74.6	100.0	1,500	
Drug/alcohol support or intervention	11.1	12.2	23.3		54.0	22.7	76.7	100.0	11,800	
Physical disability services	26.9	32.7	59.6		20.9	19.5	40.4	100.0	500	
Intellectual disability services	29.1	27.8	56.9		21.8	21.3	43.1	100.0	600	
Culturally specific services	3.1	5.7	8.8		72.1	19.1	91.2	100.0	10,500	
Interpreter services	2.6	7.5	10.1		54.4	35.4	89.8	100.0	2,500	
Assistance with immigration issues	3.8	12.8	16.6		42.7	40.6	83.3	100.0	1,600	
Health/medical services	6.7	26.8	33.5		46.7	19.9	66.6	100.0	20,800	
Basic support/other n.e.s.										
Meals	1.0	1.2	2.2		95.3	2.5	97.8	100.0	53,300	
Laundry/shower facilities	0.9	0.4	1.3		97.7	1.0	98.7	100.0	47,600	
Recreation	1.6	0.9	2.5		95.4	2.1	97.5	100.0	29,000	
Transport	2.3	1.6	3.9		92.9	3.3	96.2	100.0	38,300	
Other	2.1	1.9	4.0		87.2	8.9	96.1	100.0	33,300	
 (continued)
Table A23 (continued): Type of support required by clients in closed support periods, by provision, 2009–10
Part b: Broad types of support required in closed support periods, by provision (percentage of distinct types of support required)
	Not provided		Provided		Distinct
types of
support
required
(number)	Closed
support
periods
(number)	
Broad type of support	Neither
provided
nor referred	Referred
only	Subtotal		Provided
only	Provided
and
referred	Subtotal	Total			
Housing/
accommodation(a)(b)	7.4	8.2	15.6		68.2	16.2	84.4	100.0	161,300	105,500	
Financial/
employment	4.7	7.3	12.0		72.1	15.9	88.0	100.0	109,800	75,300	
Personal support	2.5	2.0	4.5		87.7	7.8	95.5	100.0	163,000	105,100	
General support/
advocacy	1.6	1.6	3.2		88.8	8.0	96.8	100.0	283,000	142,000	
Specialist services	8.0	20.7	28.7		48.3	23.0	71.3	100.0	77,000	46,300	
Basic support/
other n.e.s.	1.5	1.2	2.7		94.1	3.3	97.4	100.0	201,500	89,200	
Total (%)	3.5	4.7	8.2		81.4	10.4	91.8	100.0	. .	. .	
Total (number)	34,900	47,200	82,100		810,200	103,300	913,500	. .	995,600	179,900	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report)..
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
(c)	‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ refers to what is now known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’.
Notes for tables A23 and A24
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted) (closed support periods with no information on support requirements or provision): 5,607 in 2008–09; 7,556 in 2009–10.
2.	In broad groups of support types, a client may require more than one type of support within the group. The percentages for broad groups relate to all needs and not to support periods. For individual types of support, a need can be recorded only once within a support period, so the percentages relate to support periods.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A24: Broad types of support required in closed support periods, by provision, 2008–09 (percentage of distinct types of support required)
	Not provided		Provided		Distinct
types of
support
required
(number)	Closed
support
periods
(number)	
Broad type of support	Neither
provided
nor referred	Referred
only	Subtotal		Provided
only	Provided
and
referred	Subtotal	Total			
Housing/
accommodation(a)(b)	6.9	9.7	16.6		68.6	14.8	83.4	100.0	162,500	107,800	
Financial/
employment	5.2	8.5	13.7		73.3	13.1	86.4	100.0	103,900	69,100	
Personal support	2.8	2.3	5.1		88.7	6.2	94.9	100.0	156,000	98,600	
General support/
advocacy	2.0	2.0	4.0		89.4	6.6	96.0	100.0	269,000	134,500	
Specialist services	7.7	22.2	29.9		50.8	19.4	70.2	100.0	74,500	46,500	
Basic support/
other n.e.s.	1.9	1.4	3.3		94.1	2.6	96.7	100.0	195,400	84,000	
Total (%)	3.7	5.5	9.2		82.0	8.8	90.8	100.0	. .	. .	
Total (number)	35,800	52,900	88,700		788,000	84,600	872,600	. .	961,400	170,000	

Table A25: Closed accompanying child support periods: type of support required for accompanying children, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Type of support	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Accommodation	65.7	62.5	64.3	60.2	
SAAP/CAP accommodation(a)(b)(c)	65.7	62.5	64.3	60.2	
School liaison/child care	28.5	25.3	23.8	22.6	
School liaison	12.6	10.9	11.1	10.9	
Child care	20.1	17.7	16.2	16.0	
Personal support	21.1	19.5	19.2	19.6	
Help with behavioural problems	8.1	7.6	8.4	9.3	
Sexual/physical abuse support	2.8	1.8	2.5	3.0	
Skills education	6.2	5.9	5.6	7.3	
Structured play/skill development	13.4	13.1	12.3	13.3	
General support/advocacy	43.6	47.1	49.4	51.3	
Access arrangements	4.5	4.4	4.3	4.5	
Advice/information	29.3	33.0	36.1	39.6	
Advocacy	27.6	28.4	31.5	31.8	
Specialist services	20.3	20.1	20.4	20.9	
Specialist counselling	5.7	4.8	5.4	6.1	
Culturally specific services	8.3	8.3	8.3	9.1	
Health/medical services	10.2	10.2	10.7	11.3	
Basic support/other n.e.s.	60.6	56.2	53.2	54.9	
Meals	39.5	37.3	34.6	33.1	
Showers/hygiene	36.2	34.2	31.1	29.9	
Recreation	29.4	26.6	25.5	25.2	
Transport	37.3	34.3	31.8	29.1	
Other	14.8	14.7	17.8	22.3	
No needs recorded	0.8	0.7	0.4	0.8	
Total (number)	44,200	47,100	46,700	47,800	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report).. If Victoria is excluded from the calculations, the proportion of closed accompanying child support periods in which ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ was required was 70% in 2006–07; 65% in 2007–08; 65% in 2008–09; and 62% in 2009–10.
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
(c)	‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ refers to what is now known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted) (closed support periods with no information on support requirements or provision): 38,089 in 2006–07; 40,340 in 2007–08; 43,374 in 2008–09; 47,512 in 2009–10. In the majority of these, ‘no assistance’ was indicated as required for the accompanying child.
2.	Accompanying children were able to receive multiple types of support, so the percentages do not add to 100.
3.	An accompanying child may require more than one type of support within a broad type of assistance.
4.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
5.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A26: Type of support required for accompanying children in closed support periods, by provision, 2009–10
Part a: Individual types of support required for accompanying children in closed support periods, by provision (percentage of closed accompanying child support periods)
	Not provided		Provided		Closed
accom-panying
child
support
periods
(number)	
Type of support	Neither
provided
nor
referred	Referred
only	Subtotal		Provided
only	Provided
and
referred	Subtotal	Total		
Accommodation										
SAAP/CAP accommodation(a)(b)(c)	7.0	9.9	16.9		78.6	4.5	83.1	100.0	28,800	
School liaison/child care										
School liaison	3.2	5.7	8.9		66.9	24.2	91.1	100.0	5,200	
Child care	4.0	8.1	12.1		76.9	11.0	87.9	100.0	7,600	
Personal support										
Help with behavioural problems	2.6	9.6	12.2		61.2	26.5	87.7	100.0	4,400	
Sexual/physical abuse support	2.7	10.3	13.0		44.3	42.8	87.1	100.0	1,400	
Skills education	2.2	3.8	6.0		76.8	17.1	93.9	100.0	3,500	
Structured play/skill development	1.9	3.6	5.5		89.1	5.3	94.4	100.0	6,400	
General support/advocacy										
Access arrangements	4.2	14.5	18.7		61.4	20.0	81.4	100.0	2,200	
Advice/information	1.1	0.4	1.5		91.6	6.9	98.5	100.0	18,900	
Advocacy	1.0	1.1	2.1		83.8	14.2	98.0	100.0	15,200	
Specialist services										
Specialist counselling	5.0	35.0	40.0		30.1	29.9	60.0	100.0	2,900	
Culturally specific services	3.1	4.4	7.5		73.9	18.5	92.4	100.0	4,400	
Health/medical services	2.8	25.3	28.1		38.3	33.5	71.8	100.0	5,400	
Basic support/other n.e.s.										
Meals	0.8	1.7	2.5		95.6	1.9	97.5	100.0	15,800	
Showers/hygiene	0.8	0.1	0.9		98.0	1.1	99.1	100.0	14,300	
Recreation	1.0	1.0	2.0		95.9	2.1	98.0	100.0	12,000	
Transport	1.1	1.8	2.9		95.0	2.1	97.1	100.0	13,900	
Other	1.0	3.3	4.3		83.5	12.2	95.7	100.0	10,700	
(continued)

Table A26 (continued): Type of support required for accompanying children in closed support periods, by provision, 2009–10
Part b: Broad types of support required for accompanying children in closed support periods, by provision (percentage of distinct types of support required)
	Not provided		Provided		Distinct
types of
support
required
(number)	Closed
accom-panying
child
support
periods
(number)	
Broad type of support	Neither
provided
nor
referred	Referred
only	Sub-
total		Provided
only	Provided
and
referred	Sub-
total	Total			
Accommodation(a)(b)	7.0	9.9	16.9		78.6	4.5	83.1	100.0	28,800	28,800	
School liaison/
child care	3.7	7.1	10.8		72.8	16.4	89.2	100.0	12,800	10,800	
Personal support	2.3	6.0	8.3		74.4	17.3	91.7	100.0	15,800	9,400	
General support/
advocacy	1.2	1.5	2.7		86.5	10.7	97.2	100.0	36,300	24,500	
Specialist services	3.4	20.4	23.8		48.7	27.5	76.2	100.0	12,700	10,000	
Basic support/
other n.e.s.	0.9	1.5	2.4		94.1	3.5	97.6	100.0	66,800	26,300	
Total (%)	2.5	5.1	7.6		83.2	9.1	92.4	100.0	. .	. .	
Total (number)	4,400	8,800	13,200		144,100	15,800	159,900	. .	173,100	47,400	
(a)	Accommodation data are reported differently in Victoria to other jurisdictions (see Box 1.1 in the main report).
(b)	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
(c)	 ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ refers to what is now known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’.
Notes for tables A26 and A27
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted) (closed support periods with no information on support requirements or provision): 43,374 in 2008–09; 47,512 in 2009–10. In the majority of these, ‘no assistance’ was indicated as required for the accompanying child.
2.	In broad groups of support types, an accompanying child may require more than one type of support within the group. The percentages for broad groups relate to all needs and not to support periods. For individual types of support, a need can be recorded only once within a support period, so the percentages relate to accompanying child support periods.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A27: Broad types of support required for accompanying children in closed support periods, by provision, 2008–09 (percentage of distinct types of support required)
	Not provided		Provided		Distinct
types of
support
required
(number)	Closed
accom-panying
child
support
periods
(number)	
Broad type of support	Neither
provided
nor
referred	Referred
only	Sub-
total		Provided
only	Provided
and
referred	Sub-
total	Total			
Accommodation(a)	7.8	8.9	16.7		78.8	4.5	83.3	100.0	30,000	30,000	
School liaison/
child care	5.0	9.1	14.1		72.6	13.2	85.8	100.0	12,800	11,100	
Personal support	4.0	7.8	11.8		75.6	12.6	88.2	100.0	13,400	9,000	
General support/
advocacy	1.9	4.4	6.3		86.5	7.2	93.7	100.0	33,600	23,000	
Specialist services	4.4	22.6	27.0		49.9	23.0	72.9	100.0	11,400	9,500	
Basic support/
other n.e.s.	1.4	1.4	2.8		94.5	2.7	97.2	100.0	65,800	24,800	
Total (%)	3.3	5.9	9.2		83.8	6.9	90.8	100.0	. .	. .	
Total (number)	5,500	9,900	15,400		140,000	11,600	151,600	. .	167,000	46,500	
Table A28: Closed support periods: main source of income immediately before and after a support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
	Closed support periods in which clients needed assistance to obtain/maintain a pension or benefit		All closed support periods	
Main source of income	Before	After		Before	After	
				2008–09	
No income	17.4	7.8		9.7	6.9	
Government payments	75.6	84.8		81.9	84.1	
Other	7.0	7.4		8.4	9.1	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	20,100	18,900		160,400	147,700	
				2009–10	
No income	17.7	7.7		8.5	6.1	
Government payments	73.8	83.5		83.3	85.2	
Other	8.4	8.8		8.2	8.7	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	18,900	17,700		170,100	158,500	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 16,804 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 29,564 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 18,300 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 29,976 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A29: Closed support periods: main source of income immediately after a support period by length of support, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
After support	1 week or
less	>1 week–
1 month	>1–3
months	>3–6
months 	>6
months		Total	
						Per cent	Number	
	2008–09	
No income	8.1	7.3	5.9	5.1	4.5	6.9	10,200	
Government payments	84.8	84.6	84.3	81.5	81.8	84.1	124,200	
Other	7.1	8.1	9.9	13.4	13.7	9.1	13,400	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	63,500	23,800	34,000	13,600	12,900	. .	147,700	
	2009–10	
No income	6.4	6.3	6.1	5.4	4.4	6.1	9,600	
Government payments	86.9	85.1	83.7	82.9	83.0	85.2	135,100	
Other	6.7	8.6	10.2	11.8	12.6	8.7	13,800	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	72,900	22,500	34,500	14,800	13,800	. .	158,500	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 29,564 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 29,976 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A30: Closed support periods: employment status in the week before and after a support period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
	Closed support periods in which clients needed assistance in employment and training		All closed support periods	
Employment status	Before	After		Before	After	
				2008–09	
Employed full/part time	10.0	20.3		10.0	11.9	
Unemployed (looking for work)	34.0	30.2		21.7	20.5	
Not in labour force	56.1	49.5		68.3	67.6	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	10,400	9,300		159,600	144,900	
				2009–10	
Employed full/part time	10.8	20.7		9.3	11.1	
Unemployed (looking for work)	33.5	29.6		26.1	25.4	
Not in labour force	55.6	49.7		64.6	63.5	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	11,400	10,500		169,200	155,700	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 17,613 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 32,325 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 19,226 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 32,781 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A31: Closed support periods: employment status in the week after a support period, by length of support, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
After support	1 week
or less	>1 week–
1 month	>1–3
months	>3–6
months	>6
months		Total	
						Per cent	Number	
	2008–09	
Employed full/part time	8.1	10.9	13.9	18.6	20.8	11.9	17,300	
Unemployed (looking for work)	21.8	22.4	21.0	16.5	13.5	20.5	29,700	
Not in labour force	70.2	66.7	65.2	64.9	65.7	67.6	98,000	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	62,600	23,200	33,300	13,300	12,600	. .	144,900	
	2009–10	
Employed full/part time	7.0	11.3	13.9	16.6	19.5	11.1	17,200	
Unemployed (looking for work)	32.4	21.5	20.6	17.2	15.5	25.4	39,600	
Not in labour force	60.6	67.2	65.5	66.3	65.0	63.5	98,900	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0		
Total (number)	72,200	21,900	33,700	14,400	13,400	. .	155,700	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 32,325 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 32,781 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A32: Closed support periods: type of house/dwelling immediately before and after a support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Type of house/dwelling	Closed support periods in which clients needed assistance to obtain/maintain independent housing		All closed support periods	
	Before	After		Before	After	
				2008–09	
Improvised dwelling/sleeping rough	9.1	2.6		11.9	7.1	
Improvised dwelling/car/tent/squat	5.9	1.9		5.9	3.0	
Street/park/in the open	3.3	0.7		6.0	4.1	
House/dwelling	85.6	93.9		83.3	89.0	
House/flat	69.2	79.3		65.8	70.2	
Caravan	2.8	2.3		2.0	1.7	
Boarding/rooming house	7.2	7.5		8.5	10.2	
Hostel/hotel/motel	6.4	4.8		7.0	6.9	
Institutional setting	5.2	3.5		4.8	3.9	
Hospital	0.8	0.4		0.8	0.5	
Psychiatric institution	0.8	0.3		0.6	0.3	
Prison/youth training centre	1.3	0.5		1.2	0.6	
Other institutional setting	2.3	2.2		2.1	2.4	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	43,400	35,800		160,500	132,200	
				2009–10	
Improvised dwelling/sleeping rough	8.2	2.4		12.1	7.1	
Improvised dwelling/car/tent/squat	5.6	1.7		6.3	3.2	
Street/park/in the open	2.6	0.8		5.8	3.9	
House/dwelling	87.1	94.7		83.4	89.4	
House/flat	71.6	80.7		65.6	69.8	
Caravan	2.6	2.1		1.8	1.5	
Boarding/rooming house	6.7	7.4		9.2	11.0	
Hostel/hotel/motel	6.3	4.5		6.8	7.0	
Institutional setting	4.7	2.9		4.4	3.5	
Hospital	0.8	0.4		0.9	0.5	
Psychiatric institution	0.6	0.3		0.5	0.3	
Prison/youth training centre	1.2	0.6		1.1	0.5	
Other institutional setting	2.1	1.6		1.9	2.1	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	46,000	38,900		169,800	142,800	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 16,773 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 45,067 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 18,686 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 45,610 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A33: Closed support periods: type of tenure immediately before and after a support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Type of tenure	Closed support periods in which clients needed assistance to obtain/maintain independent housing		All closed support periods	
	Before	After		Before	After	
				2008–09	
SAAP/CAP funded accommodation(a)	13.1	11.8		12.7	14.9	
SAAP/CAP crisis/short-term accommodation	9.1	5.8		8.5	8.6	
SAAP/CAP medium/long-term accommodation	2.3	4.4		2.1	4.3	
Other SAAP/CAP funded accommodation	1.7	1.6		2.0	2.1	
No tenure	13.9	5.0		16.7	10.8	
Institutional setting	3.5	2.0		3.2	2.3	
Improvised dwelling/sleeping rough	7.8	1.8		10.5	5.8	
Other	2.6	1.3		3.0	2.7	
Tenure	73.0	83.2		70.6	74.3	
Purchasing/purchased own home	2.9	1.9		4.3	3.7	
Private rental	30.1	39.3		27.2	30.3	
Public housing rental	8.5	15.0		10.0	12.8	
Community housing rental	3.4	6.7		5.4	7.7	
Rent-free accommodation	8.7	4.8		8.0	5.6	
Boarding	19.5	15.5		15.7	14.2	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	41,500	34,600		150,100	124,700	
				2009–10	
SAAP/CAP funded accommodation(a)	12.1	10.4		11.5	14.0	
SAAP/CAP crisis/short-term accommodation	8.4	4.9		7.3	7.5	
SAAP/CAP medium/long-term accommodation	2.0	3.9		1.9	3.9	
Other SAAP/CAP funded accommodation	1.8	1.7		2.3	2.6	
No tenure	12.5	5.0		16.9	10.7	
Institutional setting	3.1	1.8		3.0	2.1	
Improvised dwelling/sleeping rough	6.8	1.9		10.7	5.5	
Other	2.6	1.4		3.2	3.1	
Tenure	75.4	84.5		71.6	75.2	
Purchasing/purchased own home	3.3	2.6		4.4	4.0	
Private rental	31.7	40.7		26.9	29.9	
Public housing rental	7.9	13.7		10.2	13.0	
Community housing rental	3.5	6.4		4.9	6.9	
Rent-free accommodation	8.8	5.3		7.9	5.8	
Boarding	20.2	15.7		17.2	15.6	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	44,200	37,600		160,400	135,400	
(a)	 ‘SAAP/CAP funded accommodation’ refers to what is now known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’. 
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 27,200 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 52,562 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 28,067 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 53,039 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A34: Closed support periods: type of house/dwelling occupied immediately after a support period by length of support, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
After support	1 week
or less	>1 week–
1 month	>1–3
months	>3–6
months	>6
months		Total	
						Per cent	Number	
	2008–09	
Improvised dwelling/sleeping rough	12.1	5.5	3.3	1.9	1.7	7.1	9,400	
House/dwelling	84.0	89.3	93.2	94.5	95.3	89.0	117,700	
Institutional setting	3.9	5.2	3.6	3.6	2.9	3.9	5,200	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	55,900	20,300	30,800	12,700	12,300	. .	132,200	
	2009–10	
Improvised dwelling/sleeping rough	11.6	5.1	2.8	2.5	2.6	7.1	10,100	
House/dwelling	85.2	89.8	93.8	94.1	94.4	89.4	127,700	
Institutional setting	3.2	5.1	3.4	3.4	2.9	3.5	5,000	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	64,700	19,400	31,700	13,800	13,200	. .	142,800	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 45,067 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 45,610 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A35: Closed support periods: type of tenure immediately after a support period by length of support, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
After support	1 week

or less	>1 week–
1 month	>1–3
months	>3–6
months	>6
months		Total	
						Per cent	Number	
	2008–09	
SAAP/CAP funded accommodation(a)	17.5	15.9	13.5	11.7	8.6	14.9	18,600	
No tenure	16.7	9.7	6.1	4.7	4.0	10.8	13,400	
Tenure	65.8	74.3	80.4	83.6	87.4	74.3	92,700	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	52,300	19,100	29,300	12,200	11,800	. .	124,700	
	2009–10	
SAAP/CAP funded accommodation(a)	16.4	15.1	12.8	10.3	8.2	14.0	19,000	
No tenure	15.8	9.8	5.8	5.3	5.2	10.7	14,500	
Tenure	67.8	75.1	81.4	84.5	86.6	75.2	101,800	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	60,900	18,200	30,200	13,300	12,700	. .	135,400	
(a)	 ‘SAAP/CAP funded accommodation’ refers to what is now known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 52,562 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 53,039 (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A36: Closed support periods: living situation immediately before and after a support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Living situation	Before	After	
	2008–09	
With both parents	2.5	2.0	
With one parent and parent’s spouse/partner	1.8	1.2	
With one parent	4.1	3.4	
With foster family	0.3	0.2	
With relatives/friends temporary	15.0	10.5	
With relatives/friends long-term	3.6	4.6	
With spouse/partner	8.6	6.6	
With spouse/partner and child(ren)	11.6	9.0	
Alone	24.5	27.9	
Alone with child(ren)	12.2	18.2	
With other unrelated persons	14.8	15.4	
Other	1.0	1.1	
Total	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	159,700	133,700	
	2009–10	
With both parents	2.3	1.8	
With one parent and parent’s spouse/partner	1.6	1.1	
With one parent	3.8	3.3	
With foster family	0.3	0.2	
With relatives/friends temporary	14.5	10.3	
With relatives/friends long-term	3.9	5.1	
With spouse/partner	8.2	6.5	
With spouse/partner and child(ren)	11.3	8.8	
Alone	25.6	28.9	
Alone with child(ren)	12.5	18.1	
With other unrelated persons	15.0	14.7	
Other	1.1	1.2	
Total	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	168,800	142,800	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 17,543 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 43,529 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 19,635 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 45,638 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A37: Closed support periods: student status immediately before and after a support period, by age, 2008–09 to 2009–10 (per cent)
	5–17 years		18+ years		Total	
Student status	Before	After		Before	After		Before	After	
		2008–09	
Not a student	53.7	52.5		95.4	95.0		90.7	90.4	
Primary/secondary student	38.1	37.7		1.0	0.9		5.2	4.8	
Post-secondary student/employment training	8.2	9.8		3.6	4.2		4.1	4.8	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	17,800	15,400		139,600	128,400		157,400	143,800	
		2009–10	
Not a student	51.3	49.6		95.2	94.6		90.7	90.3	
Primary/secondary student	39.8	39.1		0.9	0.8		4.9	4.5	
Post-secondary student/employment training	8.9	11.2		3.9	4.6		4.4	5.2	
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	17,100	14,700		150,600	139,900		167,700	154,600	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 18,451 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 32,100 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2008–09; 19,336 before support (including ‘Don’t know’), 32,520 after support (including ‘Don’t know’ and ‘Client left without providing any information’) in 2009–10.
2.	Table excludes closed support periods for clients aged 4 years and under.
3.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
4.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation and client non-consent.
Source: Client Collection.

Table A38: Closed support periods: existence of a case management plan by the end of a support period, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Case management plan	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
Yes	55.1	59.5	60.7	60.6	
No, client did not agree to one	10.2	7.6	7.0	6.9	
No, support period too short	33.2	31.9	28.4	28.1	
No, other reason	1.6	0.9	4.0	4.5	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	160,600	169,900	166,100	177,100	
Notes
4.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 17,313 in 2006–07; 17,085 in 2007–08; 10,690 in 2008–09; 11,310 in 2009–10.
5.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
6.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A39: Closed support periods where a case management plan was in place by the end of a support period: achievement of goals, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Achievement of goals	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	
All goals achieved	38.3	39.3	44.0	45.5	
Most or some goals achieved	54.6	54.1	50.4	49.2	
No goals achieved	7.1	6.6	5.5	5.3	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Total (number)	87,500	99,800	100,000	106,900	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 949 in 2006–07; 1,309 in 2007–08; 726 in 2008–09; 522 in 2009–10.
2.	Caution should be used when comparing data across years because of changes in policy and service delivery arrangements.
3.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.
Appendix 2	The SAAP National Data Collection
The 2009–10 data from government-funded specialist homelessness agencies was collected in the SAAP National Data Collection (SAAP NDC). In 2009–10, the SAAP NDC consisted of three distinct components, each of which can be thought of as a separate collection—the Client Collection; the Administrative Data Collection; and the Demand for Accommodation Collection (see Box A2.1). This report mainly presents analysis of the Client Collection. Some analysis of funding using the Administrative Data Collection is also included to provide context. A further report will contain data from the Demand for Accommodation Collection (AIHW 2011j).
Box A2.1: The SAAP National Data Collection
The SAAP NDC consists of distinct components, each of which can be thought of as a separate collection. In 2009–10, three collections were run:
•	The Client Collection—collects information about clients and their accompanying children. Data are recorded by service providers (agencies) during, or immediately following, contact with clients and are then returned after support has ended or, for ongoing clients, at the end of the reporting period (30 June). Data collected include information on: demographics, such as age, sex and country of birth for clients and accompanying children; the types of support required by, and provided to, each client and accompanying child; and the client’s situation before and after receiving support. Some data items require consent from the client to collect.
Data are collected in relation to support periods. A support period is a discrete period of time over which a person receives ongoing support from a government-funded specialist homelessness agency. A person may have one or more periods of support within a year. To calculate the number of people associated with these periods of support, a statistical linkage key (SLK) is created for each person receiving support where consent was provided to record this information. In this way, people with multiple periods of support can be ascertained and estimates of the number of people can be made.
•	The Administrative Data Collection—consists of general information about the agencies providing accommodation and support to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Details about these agencies are submitted by the departments that administer the government response to homelessness in each state and territory. The information provided for the Administrative Data Collection includes the client target group of each agency, whether the agency is required to participate in data collection, and details of funding.
•	The Demand for Accommodation Collection—measures the level of turn-away from specialist homelessness accommodation by collecting information about the number of met and unmet requests for accommodation. It is conducted annually over 2 separate weeks.
See Appendix 5 for more information.

A new collection reflecting the changed arrangements under the NAHA and the national partnership agreements is planned to replace the SAAP NDC on 1 July 2011. Until the implementation of this new collection, for continuity in reporting data from the SAAP NDC the terminology and labels of data produced under the SAAP V agreement have been retained. For example, ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ continues to be reported as a type of support but now refers to what is known as ‘specialist homelessness accommodation’.
Funding to agencies
In 2009–10, 1,559 specialist homelessness agencies received government funding for all or part of the year (Table A1). Not all funded agencies were required to participate in data collection. In 2009–10, 1,434 agencies were required to participate (Table A2).
Funding to agencies in 2009–10 was provided jointly by the Australian Government and the state and territory governments under the NAHA and national partnership agreements. The states and territories were also able to provide additional funding over and above the amounts determined in these agreements.
Readers should note that not all jurisdictions have included NPAH and other partnership agreement funding or agencies for the 2009–10 year.
Agency participation and client consent
The participation of agencies in the SAAP NDC has generally been high, as have the rates of consent and valid consent obtained from clients (Table A2). This is important as, to ensure that the data collected accurately reflect the work done, it is essential that there is both a high level of participation in the collection among funded agencies and a high level of consent provided by clients. A weighting system has been developed to adjust for incomplete responses, both in terms of agencies that did not participate and clients who did not consent (see Appendix 3 for further detail).
Readers should note that the number and profile of agencies change each year as a result of agency closures, the amalgamation or splitting of agencies, the opening of new agencies, or the reclassification of service delivery models or target groups. Inclusion or exclusion from the collection and changes in agency status and type are determined by the state and territory governments responsible for administering the government response to homelessness.

Accompanying children
Consent in the case of accompanying children is more complicated than that for clients. Young children are not able to understand the purpose of the collection and cannot, therefore, give informed consent. In addition, the question concerning the age at which young people are able to give consent has no simple, universally accepted answer.
For the purposes of the SAAP NDC, consent can be obtained from either the parent/guardian or the child, depending on family circumstances and whether or not the child is judged able to comprehend what is being asked of her/him. In cases where there is a strong objection from the parent/guardian about the data collection, the wishes of the parent/guardian take precedence. 
Consent is obtained at the client support period level, not the accompanying child support period level, and a client may choose to provide consent for their details to be recorded but not wish to record those of their accompanying child.
Appendix 3	Weighting
In order to provide accurate data about all clients presenting at specialist homelessness agencies, the data collected in the Client Collection must be adjusted for agency non-participation and, if necessary, client non-consent.
The simplest way of adjusting for non-participation and non-consent is to scale up estimates at the total level. This assumes that, on average, the demographic characteristics and circumstances of people are the same regardless of whether data about them were reported to the AIHW. There may, however, be some differences between the profiles of support periods with and without consent. Consequently, distributions based only on support periods with consent may differ from those that would have been obtained had consent been provided in all cases. The AIHW has therefore developed an adjustment scheme that allows for differences between support periods with consent and those without. The scheme also adjusts estimates to allow for agency non-participation (if this occurs), for clients who give valid consent for some support periods but not for others (referred to as ‘mixed consent’), and for clients who do not give consent in any of their periods of support. The scheme is outlined below.
There is no strictly objective method that can be applied to the data from the Client Collection to adjust estimates for incomplete response. Karmel (1999:23, 26) describes the statistical assumptions underlying the adjustment scheme developed by the AIHW. The scheme has the following features:
•	the collection is divided into specified groups, or strata. Within the strata, it is assumed that support periods with valid consent (that is, with consent and a valid statistical linkage key) represent those without valid consent. This means that the characteristics of support periods within each stratum are assumed not to depend on whether valid consent was obtained. The strata are defined in terms of characteristics available for all support periods in participating agencies
•	if there are any non-participating agencies within a state or territory, it is assumed that, on average, participating and non-participating agencies provide a similar volume and profile of support
•	some clients have mixed consent. Assumptions about the extent and nature of mixed consent are made to estimate the number of clients and the average number of support periods per client. Adjustments made for clients with mixed consent within subgroups are derived using simulation techniques and by-product data from the Client Collection
•	for support period level estimates, two weights for adjusting estimates are derived:
–	a non-participation weight: a range of information is available for all support periods in participating agencies, and estimates using these data are adjusted only for agency non-participation
–	a full non-participation non-consent weight: for estimates using data that require consent, weights that adjust for both agency non-participation and client 
non-consent are used.
It is possible for these two weighting schemes to give slightly different estimates for the same item. Because estimates derived using the non-participation weights are based on a much larger sample than those using the full non-participation non-consent weights, the former (where available) are preferred because of their greater accuracy
•	for client and accompanying child level estimates, only one weight is derived because valid consent is required to derive these estimates. A weight is derived for each record with at least one period with valid consent. Note that consent is not obtained separately for accompanying children and is the same as the consent recorded for the parent/guardian. In estimates of numbers of clients and accompanying children, inaccuracies caused by identical statistical linkage keys for a small number and changing linkage key information for the same client or accompanying child are not considered in the adjustment scheme.
In this report and its supplements, all estimates of clients, support periods, accompanying children and accompanying child support periods obtained using data from the Client Collection have been adjusted for agency non-participation and, where applicable, client non-consent using the scheme just outlined.
Appendix 4	Interpretation of tables
When interpreting the tables in this report, the following should be noted:
•	the main unit used in the table (for example, percentages, numbers or dollars) is shown at the end of the table title. If no unit is given there, the units used are given in the body of the table.
•	in tables by state and territory, the number of clients in each state and territory is calculated based on their first visit in that state or territory. The support periods for a particular client may have been at agencies in more than one state or territory. Consequently, the number of clients by state and territory does not sum to the national figure. The same is true for accompanying children
•	records with missing data (due to either errors or omissions) are not included in the percentages or numbers in a table. Care should be taken when interpreting and using figures in a table if the numbers of errors and omissions are relatively high (as a rule of thumb, more than one-third the size of the number of records included in the table)
•	components may not add to totals because of rounding. For rounding conventions, refer to Appendix 5
•	in a number of tables clients may have more than one response so the percentages will not add to 100. A note to the table will indicate whether this is the case.
In general, numbered notes at the bottom of the tables indicate:
•	the number of records excluded from the table because of errors and omissions in the data
•	any additional information needed to interpret the table.
Appendix 5	Counting rules and glossary
Accurate interpretation of the analyses presented in this report requires an understanding of the concepts and terms used in the SAAP NDC.
In this report, the following rules and definitions have been used. For detailed descriptions of categories and other terms used in this report, please refer to the collectors manual 
(AIHW 2005).
Accommodated client	A client is considered to be accommodated during a support period if the support type of ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ (specialist homelessness accommodation) was provided and/or a date of accommodation was provided.	
Accommodation period	The period during which a client was in specialist homelessness accommodation (also referred to as a period of accommodation). A client may have no accommodation periods or one or more accommodation periods within a support period.
The dates on which each accommodation period began and ended during the support period are collected for clients, but not for accompanying children. It can, however, be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child will have the same accommodation period start and end dates as their parent(s) or guardian(s) in the majority of cases.	
Accompanying child	A person aged under 18 years who:
•	has a parent or guardian who is a client; and 
•	accompanies that client to a an agency any time during that client’s support period; and/or 
•	receives assistance directly as a consequence of a parent or guardian’s support period.
Tables detailing the characteristics of individual accompanying children generally present data collected during the child’s first accompanying child support period in the reporting period.	
Accompanying child requiring assistance	An accompanying child is said to require assistance if any information concerning the need for or provision of support (including referrals) has been reported for the child (refer to question 23 of the client form, Appendix 7).	

Accompanying child support period	Each support period in which the child either accompanies a parent or guardian to an agency or receives assistance as a result of a parent or guardian’s support period.
Within an accompanying child support period, the child may receive one-off assistance and/or support over a period of time. Because the child may not be supported for the entire duration of a parent’s or guardian’s support period, it is not possible to assess the exact length of support for an accompanying child. However, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child will have the same support period start and end dates as their parent(s) or guardian(s) in the majority of cases.
The number of accompanying child support periods is calculated by summing the number of accompanying children reported for each support period.	
Age	The age of the client or accompanying child is calculated from their date of birth and is either their age at the beginning of the support period or their age on the first day of the reporting period (1 July), whichever is the later.	
Agency	An organisation or establishment that receives a specified amount of NAHA/national partnership funds to provide specialist homelessness services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Agencies may also receive funding from other sources.
Agency inclusion is determined by the state and territory departments responsible for administering the government response to homelessness. Not all funded agencies are required to participate in data collection (see participating agency).	
Alpha code	A predetermined combination of letters from a client’s or accompanying child’s name, together with a letter designating their sex. See also valid alpha code and statistical linkage key.	
At imminent risk of homelessness	Includes people who are at risk of losing their housing because of factors that do not pose a threat to their safety; for example, interpersonal conflicts that do not involve violence. A person who requires the support of an agency worker to maintain their current housing situation and live independently in the community may also be considered to be at risk of becoming homeless.	

Client	A person who is homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness who:
•	is accommodated by an agency; or
•	enters into an ongoing support relationship with an agency; or
•	receives support or assistance from an agency which entails generally 1 hour or more of a worker’s time, either with that client directly or on behalf of that client, on a given day.
This includes people who are aged 18 years or older and people of any age not accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Client records from operational agencies are included in the analyses presented in this report if:
•	the client’s support period ended in the reporting period; or
•	the client’s support period started on or before the end of the reporting period and either was ongoing at the end of the reporting period (30 June) or the end date of the support period was unknown and the record was entered by the AIHW before the data entry close-off date for the reporting period; and
•	a valid statistical linkage key was provided.
Tables detailing the characteristics of individual clients generally present data collected during the client’s first support period in the reporting period.	
Closed accompanying child support periods	An accompanying child support period associated with a closed support period.	
Closed support period	A support period that had finished on or before the end of the reporting period—30 June.	

Client group	For the purposes of this report clients are grouped into the following categories based on the family unit the person was supported with:
•	Male alone, under 25—males aged under 25 years who presented ‘alone or with unrelated person(s)’
•	Male alone, 25+—males aged 25 years and over who presented ‘alone or with unrelated person(s)’
•	Female alone, under 25—females aged under 25 years who presented ‘alone or with unrelated person(s)’
•	Female alone, 25+—females aged 25 years and over who presented ‘alone or with unrelated person(s)’
•	Couple no children—refers to a married or defacto couple presenting together without children or other family members
•	Couple with children—refers to a married or defacto couple presenting together with at least one child who either accompanies them or is provided with assistance as a consequence of their parent or guardian’s support
•	Male with children—a single male presenting with at least one child who either accompanies them or is provided with assistance as a consequence of their parent or guardian’s support
•	Female with children—a single female presenting with at least one child who either accompanies them or is provided with assistance as a consequence of their parent or guardian’s support
•	Other—used to record all other groups of related individuals. For example, siblings and multigenerational families.	

Homeless person	A person who does not have access to safe, secure and adequate housing. A person is considered not to have access to safe, secure and adequate housing if the only housing to which they have access:
•	damages, or is likely to damage, their health; or
•	threatens their safety; or
•	marginalises them through failing to provide access to:
–	adequate personal amenities, or
–	the economic and social supports that a home normally affords; or
•	places them in circumstances which threaten or adversely affect the adequacy, safety, security and affordability of that housing; or
•	has no security of tenure; that is, they have no legal right to continued occupation of their home.
A person is also considered homeless if he or she is living in accommodation provided by an agency or some other form of emergency accommodation.	
House/dwelling	The Client Collection specifies 10 categories of house or dwelling type for clients:
•	improvised dwelling/car/tent/squat
•	street/park/in the open
•	house/flat
•	caravan
•	boarding/rooming house
•	hostel/hotel/motel
•	hospital
•	psychiatric institution
•	prison/youth training centre
•	other institutional setting.	
Income source	The Client Collection specifies 22 distinct categories for the main income source of clients. In this report, the categories are combined into three groups:
•	no income—including no income and no income, registered/awaiting benefit
•	government payments—including Newstart; Youth Allowance; Community Development Employment Program (CDEP); ABSTUDY; Austudy; Disability Support Pension; Age Pension; Parenting Payment; Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) payment (support or pension); and any other government allowance or benefit
•	other income—including Workcover or compensation; maintenance or child support; wages or salary or income from a client’s own business; spouse or partner’s income; and any other income source not specified above.	
Informed consent	For the purposes of the SAAP NDC, informed consent is a statement by the client that he or she agrees to have personal information recorded and sent to the AIHW for analysis. The protocols of the collection state that the client must be given appropriate information about why the information is being recorded and what the information will be used for.	
Length of accommodation	Accommodation length is obtained by summing the individual accommodation period lengths reported for a support period. An individual accommodation length is obtained by subtracting the accommodation start date from the accommodation finish date for those periods with valid dates. If a client starts and ends accommodation on the same date, the length of accommodation is recorded as zero.
A support period with accommodation may begin before the start of the financial year. For this report, length of accommodation is the total length of accommodation within a support period, not the length of accommodation within the financial year.	
Length of support	The length of support is calculated by subtracting the support period start date from the support period finish date.
A support period may begin before the start of the financial year. For this report, length of support refers to the length of the entire support period, not the length of support within the financial year.
The categories used in this report are:
•	1 week or less—less than 1 day to 7 days
•	>1 week–1 month—8 days to 28 days
•	>1 month–3 months—29 days to 91 days
•	>3 months–6 months—92 days to 182 days
•	>6 months—183 days and onwards.	
Living situation	The Client Collection specifies 11 distinct categories for the living situation of clients and allows agencies to record other types of living situation not listed on the data form:
•	with both parents
•	with one parent and parent’s spouse/partner
•	with one parent
•	with foster family
•	with relatives/friends temporary
•	with relatives/friends long-term
•	with spouse/partner
•	with spouse/partner and child(ren)
•	alone with child(ren)
•	alone
•	with other unrelated persons
•	other.	
Main reason for seeking assistance	This report presents individual main reasons and includes a subtotal for five distinct groupings. The subtotals are:
•	Interpersonal relationships—time out from family/other situation; relationship/family breakdown; interpersonal conflict; sexual abuse; domestic/family violence; physical/emotional abuse
•	Financial—gambling; budgeting problems; rent too high; other financial difficulty
•	Accommodation—overcrowding issues; eviction/asked to leave; emergency accommodation ended; previous accommodation ended
•	Health—mental health issues; problematic drug/alcohol/substance use; psychiatric illness; other health issues
•	Other reasons—gay/lesbian/transgender issues; recently left institution; recent arrival to area with no means of support; itinerant; other.	
Mean	For non-funding support periods or client-level items, the mean value of an item is the weighted arithmetic average of the item using relevant records with valid values.
For funding items, the mean is the total funding as reported, divided by the relevant number of units.	

Median	The median is the fiftieth percentile of a distribution. This is the value of an item such that half (using weights) of relevant records with valid values are below this value and half are above it.	
Missing values	Records that are not available for analysis are shown in table notes. The number of such records for each table is calculated in the following order of precedence:
•	records not available because of errors
•	records not available because of omissions.
In tables involving subpopulations, it is impossible to determine whether a given record should be included or excluded if data are missing for the variable(s) defining the subpopulation in the analysis. Such records are generally not included in the missing count for these tables.	
Not employed	Either ‘unemployed (looking for work)’ or ‘not in the labour force’.	
Ongoing support period	A support period is considered ongoing at the end of the reporting period if each of the following conditions is met:
•	no support end-date is provided
•	no after-support information is provided
•	the corresponding client form was received in the month following the end of the reporting period.
Ongoing support periods are generally not included in tables relating to duration of support or accommodation.	
Ongoing support relationship	An ongoing support relationship exists between an agency and a person if some assistance has been provided to that person, and it is expected that future contact will occur between the person and the agency for the purpose of providing additional assistance. Future contact can be assumed if:
•	a definite appointment has been made with the person to work through particular problems/issues; or
•	an agreement has been reached with the person to work through particular problems/issues even if a specific appointment has not been made; or
•	the agency expects the client to return for more assistance within a month.
However, an invitation to return to the agency in the future if the need arises does not constitute an ongoing support relationship. It is seen to be an offer to enter into a new support period or to provide assistance at some future time.	

Participating agency/
participation rate	The participation status of an agency is determined by their status in the Administrative Data Collection as well as by their participation in the SAAP NDC during the reference period.
The Administrative Data Collection contains information on all funded agencies. These agencies fall into one of two categories—non-participating agencies and participating agencies.
Non-participating agencies are funded, but are not required to participate in data collection. They are excluded from the calculation of the participation rate, but are included in tables relating to agency funding.
Participating agencies are those that are required to return data for the reference period. With some exceptions, these form the basis for the calculation of the participation rate. Participating agencies are not considered ‘in scope’ for the reference period if they were not able to participate in the collection for that year. For example, the Administrative Data Collection indicated that they were closed for the entire reference period and they did not return any data.	
Per 10,000 population	Calculated by dividing the population in the designated group by the estimated resident Australian population in that group and multiplying by 10,000. 	
Percentages	Percentages presented in the report are based on valid values only; that is, records without values for the relevant data item are excluded from the denominator before percentages are calculated.	
Primary target group	Refers to the primary target group of the agency; that is, the primary characteristics of persons to whom a service is targeted. There are six classifications used by the SAAP NDC. These are:
•	young people
•	single men only
•	single women only
•	families
•	women and children escaping domestic violence
•	cross-target/multiple/general.	
Referral	For the purposes of the SAAP NDC, a referral involves a formal process: not simply the provision of information. A (formal) referral occurs when an agency contacts another organisation and that organisation accepts the person concerned for an appointment or interview. A referral has not been provided if the person is not accepted for an appointment or interview.	

Rounding	Weighted numbers of support periods and clients are generally rounded to the nearest 100.
Percentages in tables are rounded to 1 decimal place. Percentages in text are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Figures may not add or match between tables and text due to rounding.	
Statistical linkage key (SLK)	A derived variable that allows demographic data about the same client to be combined across support periods without the name of the client being recorded.
See also valid statistical linkage key. 	
Support/service	Assistance, other than supported accommodation, provided to a client or accompanying child as part of a support period.
See also type of support/service.	
Support period	Commences when a client begins to receive support and/or supported accommodation from an agency. The support period is considered to finish when:
•	the client ends the relationship with the agency; or
•	the agency ends the relationship with the client.
If it is not clear whether the agency or the client has ended the relationship, the support period is assumed to have ended if no assistance has been provided to the client for a period of 
1 month. In such a case, the date the support period ended is the last contact with the client.
Support periods from operational agencies are included in the analyses presented in this report if:
•	the client’s support period ended in the reporting period; or
•	the client’s support period started on or before the end of the reporting period and either was ongoing at the end of the reporting period (30 June) or the end date of the support period was unknown and the record was entered by the AIHW before the data entry close-off date for the reporting period.	
Support period with accommodation	A support period in which a support type of ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ was provided and/or a date of ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ was provided.	
Tenure	Tenure describes a person’s legal right to occupy a dwelling; that is, whether the dwelling they occupied immediately before and after support was owned, being purchased or rented. If a dwelling was being rented, information is also collected on whether that renting is in the private rental market, public housing or community housing. Clients may also be boarding or living rent-free or have no tenure.	

Type of support	The Client Collection specifies 34 distinct types of support for clients and 17 distinct types of support for accompanying children and allows agencies to record other types not listed on the data form. 
For clients, this report presents individual service or support types and includes a subtotal for six distinct groupings. The major classifications for clients are:
•	housing or accommodation—‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’; assistance to obtain or maintain short-term accommodation; assistance to obtain or maintain medium-term accommodation; and assistance to obtain or maintain independent housing
•	financial or employment—assistance to obtain or maintain a government allowance; employment and training assistance; financial assistance or material aid; and financial counselling and support
•	personal support—incest or sexual assault support; domestic or family violence support; family or relationship support; emotional support; and assistance with problem gambling
•	general support or advocacy—living skills or personal development; assistance with legal issues or court support; advice or information; retrieval, storage or removal of personal belongings; and advocacy or liaison on behalf of client
•	specialist services—psychological services; specialist counselling services; psychiatric services; pregnancy support; family planning support; drug or alcohol support or intervention; physical disability services; intellectual disability services; culturally specific services; interpreter services; assistance with immigration issues; and health or medical services
•	basic support and other not elsewhere specified (n.e.s.)—meals; laundry or shower facilities; recreation; transport; and other support.
For accompanying children, this report presents individual service or support types and includes a subtotal for six distinct groupings. The major classifications for accompanying children are: 
•	accommodation—‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’
•	school liaison or child care—school liaison; and child care
•	personal support—help with behavioural problems; sexual or physical abuse support; skills education; and structured play or skill development
•	general support or advocacy—access arrangements; advice or information; and advocacy
•	specialist services—specialist counselling; culturally specific services; and health or medical services
•	basic support and other not elsewhere specified (n.e.s.)—meals; showers or hygiene; recreation; transport; and other support.
Note that support for accompanying children is recorded on only one parent’s/guardian’s form when a couple presents to an agency.
For further information, refer to Appendix 7 for the form and to the collectors manual (AIHW 2005) for the definitions.	
Unaccompanied client	A client who presented ‘alone or with an unrelated person(s)’.	
Unmet need	An unmet need occurs when an agency worker assesses that a client needs a support service during their support period, and that service is not provided or referred.	
Valid alpha code	An alpha code that is given with informed consent, containing only letters from the alphabet or the numeral ‘2’ (to indicate a short name) and ends in either M or F to indicate the sex.	
Valid consent	Refers to a valid statistical linkage key.	
Valid date of birth	For the purposes of the SAAP NDC, a valid date of birth is one that is provided with informed consent; and has the day and month of birth completed and not estimated; and the year of birth completed either estimated or not estimated.	
Valid statistical linkage key (SLK)	For the purposes of the SAAP NDC, a valid SLK comprises a valid alpha code and valid date of birth.	
Appendix 6	Abbreviations and symbols
Abbreviations
ABS	Australian Bureau of Statistics	
ACT	Australian Capital Territory	
AIHW	Australian Institute of Health and Welfare	
CAP	Crisis Accommodation Program	
NAHA	National Affordable Housing Agreement	
No.	number	
NPAH	National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness	
NSW	New South Wales	
NT	Northern Territory	
Qld	Queensland	
SA	South Australia	
SAAP	Supported Accommodation Assistance Program	
SAAP NDC	SAAP National Data Collection	
SLK	statistical linkage key	
Tas	Tasmania	
THM	Transitional Housing Management program	
VHDC	Victorian Homelessness Data Collection	
Vic	Victoria	
WA	Western Australia	
Symbols in tables
. .	not applicable	
—	nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)	
n.a.	not available	
n.e.s.	not elsewhere specified	

Appendix 7	Client Collection form
Eight page PDF
List of tables
Table A1:	Funding to agencies, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A2:	Client Collection: agency participation rates and records returned with 
informed consent and valid consent, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A3:	Total support for clients and accompanying children, by reporting period, 
2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A4:	Support periods and clients, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A5:	Accompanying child support periods and accompanying children, by 
reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A6:	Clients: age by sex, 2009–10
Table A7:	Clients: rate per 10,000 population aged 10 years and over by age and sex 
and mean and median age of all clients by sex, by reporting period, 2006–07 
to 2009–10
Table A8:	Accompanying children: age, by sex, 2009–10
Table A9:	Accompanying children: rate per 10,000 population aged 0–17 years by age 
and mean and median age, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A10:	Clients: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status by sex, by reporting 
period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A11:	Accompanying children: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A12:	Clients: top 5 countries of birth in 2009–10, by reporting period, 2006–07 
to 2009–10
Table A13:	Accompanying children: top 5 countries of birth in 2009–10, by reporting 
period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A14:	Support periods: client group, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A15:	Support periods: main reason for seeking assistance, by reporting period, 
2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A16:	Support periods: main reason for seeking assistance, by client group, 
2009–10
Table A17:	Closed support periods: length of support, by reporting period, 2006–07 
to 2009–10
Table A18:	Closed support periods: mean and median length of support by client 
group, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A19:	Closed support periods in which clients were accommodated: total length 
of accommodation, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A20:	Closed support periods in which clients were accommodated: mean and 
median length of accommodation by client group, by reporting period, 
2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A21:	Closed support periods: type of support required by clients, by reporting 
period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A22:	Closed support periods: type of support required by clients, by client 
group, 2009–10
Table A23:	Type of support required by clients in closed support periods, by provision, 2009–10
Table A24:	Broad types of support required in closed support periods, by provision, 
2008–09
Table A25:	Closed accompanying child support periods: type of support required for accompanying children, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A26:	Type of support required for accompanying children in closed support 
periods, by provision, 2009–10
Table A27:	Broad types of support required for accompanying children in closed 
support periods, by provision, 2008–09
Table A28:	Closed support periods: main source of income immediately before and 
after a support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A29:	Closed support periods: main source of income immediately after a support period by length of support, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A30:	Closed support periods: employment status in the week before and after a support period, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A31:	Closed support periods: employment status in the week after a support 
period, by length of support, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A32:	Closed support periods: type of house/dwelling immediately before and 
after a support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A33:	Closed support periods: type of tenure immediately before and after a 
support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A34:	Closed support periods: type of house/dwelling occupied immediately 
after a support period by length of support, by reporting period, 2008–09 
to 2009–10
Table A35:	Closed support periods: type of tenure immediately after a support period 
by length of support, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A36:	Closed support periods: living situation immediately before and after a 
support period, by reporting period, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A37:	Closed support periods: student status immediately before and after a 
support period, by age, 2008–09 to 2009–10
Table A38:	Closed support periods: existence of a case management plan by the end 
of a support period, by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2009–10
Table A39:	Closed support periods where a case management plan was in place by 
the end of a support period: achievement of goals, by reporting period, 
2006–07 to 2009–10