Reasons for seeking assistance
The most common main reason clients with disability seek support relate to accommodation (42% or 9,400), followed by interpersonal relationships (22% or 5,000) (for SHS clients with known disability status and main reason for support) (Table HOMELESSNESS.3).
Reasons for seeking assistance
The SHSC collects information about the client’s reasons for seeking assistance at the start of support:
- the main reason for seeking support
- all reasons for seeking support.
This information is as reported by the client, not the agency worker.
Table HOMELESSNESS.3: SHS clients, selected main reason for seeking support, by disability status(a), 2019–20 (%)
Main reason
|
With disability
|
Without disability
|
Accommodation
|
41.7
|
33.5
|
Housing crisis
|
22.2
|
18.0
|
Inadequate/inappropriate dwelling conditions
|
14.8
|
11.2
|
Previous accommodation ended
|
4.7
|
4.3
|
Interpersonal relationships
|
22.1
|
34.1
|
Domestic/family violence
|
16.5
|
27.2
|
Relationship/family breakdown
|
3.6
|
4.7
|
Financial
|
18.6
|
18.7
|
Financial difficulties
|
11.6
|
11.5
|
Housing affordability stress
|
6.7
|
6.7
|
Health
|
6.8
|
2.6
|
Mental health issues
|
3.2
|
1.1
|
Medical issues
|
2.6
|
0.8
|
(a) Excluding those whose disability status is recorded as missing or unknown.
Notes:
1. Most common main reasons for seeking support (excluding ‘not stated’) among SHS clients.
2. ‘With disability’ includes only clients who have core activity limitations.
3. ‘Without disability’ includes clients who have disability but no core activity limitation.
Source: SHSC 2019–20; see also Table SHSC5.
The main reasons clients seek support vary between those with and without disability (Table HOMELESSNESS.3). For example, clients with disability are more likely to report housing crisis as a main reason for seeking support and less likely to report domestic or family violence (Table HOMELESSNESS.3).
The main reasons that clients with disability seek support also vary depending on their housing situation at the beginning of support (Table HOMELESSNESS.4). For example (for SHS clients with known disability status and main reason for support):
- more than half (52% or 5,400) of clients with disability who are homeless when they begin support cite accommodation-related reasons as their main reason for seeking support, compared with one-third (33% or 3,900) of those who begin support at risk of homelessness
- interpersonal relationship and financial issues are more commonly identified by clients with disability who begin support at risk of homelessness than those who begin support homeless.
Table HOMELESSNESS.4: SHS clients with disability(a), main reason for seeking support, by housing status at first report(b), 2019–20 (%)
Main reason
|
Homeless at first report
|
At risk at first report
|
Accommodation
|
52.0
|
33.3
|
Housing crisis
|
26.0
|
19.3
|
Inadequate/inappropriate dwelling conditions
|
19.8
|
10.6
|
Previous accommodation ended
|
6.2
|
3.4
|
Interpersonal relationships
|
19.1
|
23.6
|
Domestic/family violence
|
12.7
|
18.7
|
Relationship/family breakdown
|
4.4
|
2.8
|
Financial
|
12.6
|
24.2
|
Financial difficulties
|
7.1
|
15.7
|
Housing affordability stress
|
5.2
|
8.2
|
Health
|
6.5
|
7.3
|
Mental health issues
|
3.0
|
3.3
|
Medical issues
|
2.2
|
3.0
|
(a) ‘With disability’ includes only clients who have core activity limitations.
(b) Excludes clients for whom homelessness status at first report is unknown.
Note: Most common main reasons for seeking support (excluding ‘not stated’) among SHS clients with disability.
Source: SHSC 2019–20; see also Table SHSC6.
During support
Clients with disability generally have a higher and more complex need for support than clients without disability. This is reflected in their higher (for SHS clients with known disability status):
- average number of support periods received – 2.6 compared with 1.7
- median length of support – 74 days compared with 45
- average number of distinct services needed – 13.9 compared with 9.2.
Support need and provision
Information on services and assistance needed, provided and referred is collected by SHS agencies during the collection period.
‘Services needed’ refers to services or assistance the SHS agency worker assesses the client needs, regardless of whether the client accepts this or agrees to participate in the support service.
‘Services provided’ refer to services or assistance provided directly by the SHS agency.
‘Services referred’ refer to where a client is referred to another service provider who accepts the client for an appointment or interview. It does not capture whether a client kept the appointment or whether the appointment led to the client receiving a service.
Type of support needed
Accommodation is the most needed type of service for clients with (70% or 15,800) and without (61% or 147,000) disability (for SHS clients with known disability status). Clients with disability, however, generally have a higher need for all types of accommodation:
- 53% (or 12,100) need long-term housing, compared with 39% (or 95,500)
- 41% (or 9,300) need medium-term or transitional housing, compared with 30% (or 72,300)
- 46% (or 10,600) need short-term or emergency accommodation, compared with 40% (or 97,900).
Clients with disability are also more likely than those without disability to need most other types of assistance, with the exception of assistance for domestic and/or family violence, culturally specific services and child care.
Unmet need for support
Not all clients who need support receive it directly or have all their needs met (though they may have a referral arranged – for data on referrals, see Homelessness services (XLSX, 175KB) data tables).
Of clients with disability (where disability status is known):
- 32% (or 7,200) had all support needs met directly, compared with 43% (or 103,000) without disability
- 66% (or 14,900) had some met, compared with 54% (or 130,000)
- 2.8% (or 640) had none met, compared with 3.8% (9,100).
Some types of support are more likely to be provided directly when needed than others. For example, of SHS clients with known disability status:
- about half (51% or 8,100) of clients with disability who needed accommodation were provided it directly and 19% (or 3,000) were referred elsewhere
- 4 in 10 (39% or 510) clients with disability who needed disability services received them directly and 22% (or 290) were referred
- about half (47% or 2,000) of clients with disability who needed services related to mental health received them directly and 19% (or 790) were referred (Figure HOMELESSNESS.3).
Clients with disability (51% or 8,100) are about as likely as clients without disability (51% or 75,500) to receive the accommodation services they need, and slightly more likely to receive long-term housing (4.9% or 590 compared with 3.4% or 3,300) (for SHS clients with known disability status) when they need it.
When they need them, clients with disability are also more likely to receive:
- mental health services – 47% (or 2,000) compared with 43% (or 9,900)
- drug and/or alcohol services – 46% (or 750) compared with 41% (or 3,600).
When they need them, clients with disability are less likely to receive:
- immigration and/or cultural services – 78% (or 1,300) compared with 86% (or 16,600)
- family services – 60% (or 1,200) compared with 63% (or 14,300)
- legal and/or financial – 42% (or 920) compared with 44% (or 7,600)
- other specialist (including health and medical services) – 66% (or 4,300) compared with 70% (or 34,100).
Clients with disability and without disability have similar rates of direct service provision for:
- assistance to sustain housing tenure – 83% (or 8,400) compared with 82% (or 66,200)
- general (including employment and training assistance) – 99% (or 21,500) compared with 98% (or 225,000).