AIHW to report on clients of homelessness services quarterly
The article was originally posted on LinkedIn by Matthew James, Deputy CEO, AIHW.
'Timeliness’ is a word that has been repeatedly used when it comes to data since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the long-term effects of the pandemic are still uncertain, COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of using robust and timely data to inform effective decision-making.
I’m very pleased that today’s report Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS): Monthly Data is the first in a new ongoing series of quarterly data releases by the Institute. Until this year we have been releasing these data on an annual basis.
The report includes the latest information on Australians who are receiving support because they are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This first release covers the period from January 2018 until June 2020 and includes state and territory-level statistics.
These SHS data are neatly presented in a new and interactive quarterly data dashboard. It is a good example of the Institute finding ways to release information more quickly and effectively to assist service-providers, policy-makers and researchers.
Well done to the teams involved—today’s release is just one of the many steps we are taking to address the issue of data timeliness.
The information in the new quarterly dashboard is from our Specialist Homelessness Services Collection.
You can find more detailed info on SHS agencies and their clients in our Specialist Homelessness Service annual reports. The annual report for 2019-20 will be released in December 2020.