People with disability in Australia

Introduction

Safe, secure housing is fundamental to people’s health and wellbeing. Access to affordable housing is a key issue for everyone, particularly those on low incomes. A lack of affordable housing puts households at an increased risk of experiencing housing stress and can affect their health, education and employment and place them at risk of homelessness (AIHW 2020).

Anyone can be affected by homelessness. However, some groups, such as people with disability, may face additional risk factors, such as limited engagement with the labour market, lack of social support and low income (AIHW 2020). These factors increase their likelihood of experiencing homelessness, or present additional barriers to exiting homelessness (see Employment and Income and finance for more information on these life areas).

People with disability may also have specific accommodation and support needs beyond those of the general population.

People with disability who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can use specialist homelessness services (SHS). These services are funded by governments to:

• provide accommodation support to people in need
• support at-risk clients to remain housed
• provide services intended to support stable living conditions, such as counselling, employment or financial services.

Demographics

In 2019–20, about 290,500 clients received support from specialist homelessness services. Of SHS clients with known disability status, 8.6% (or 22,800) have disability. Around one-third (30% or 6,700) of clients with disability have severe or profound disability (or 2.5% of all SHS clients with known disability status).

Sex

Clients with disability (54% or 12,200) are less likely to be female than clients without disability (60% or 146,100 with known disability status) (Figure HOMELESSNESS.1).

Disability is less common in female clients than male clients – 7.7% have disability, compared with 9.8% (with known disability status) (Table HOMELESSNESS.1).

(a) Excluding those whose disability status is recorded as missing or unknown. The disability status of 25,100 SHS clients (or 8.6% of all SHS clients) was recorded as missing or unknown in 2019–20.

Notes:

1. ‘With disability’ includes only clients who have core activity limitations.

2. ‘Without disability’ includes clients who have disability but no core activity limitation.

Source: SHSC 2019–20; see also Table SHSC1.

Age

Clients with disability are more likely to be older than clients without disability. One in 11 (9.1% or 2,100) clients with disability are aged 65 or over, compared with 1 in 43 (2.3% or 5,600) clients without disability (with known disability status) (Figure HOMELESSNESS.1).

Disability is more common in older clients. More than a quarter (27%) clients aged 65 and over have disability, compared with around:

• 1 in 11 (9.1% or 18,000) aged 15–64
• 1 in 29 (3.5% or 590) aged 10–14 (Table HOMELESSNESS.2).

(a) Excluding those whose disability status is recorded as missing or unknown. The disability status of 19,800 SHS clients aged 10 and over (or 8.2% of all SHS clients aged 10 and over) was recorded as missing or unknown in 2019–20.

Notes:

1. ‘With disability’ includes only clients who have core activity limitations.

2. ‘Without disability’ includes clients who have disability but no core activity limitation.

3. Disability status is collected for all ages but data relating to children aged 0–9 should be interpreted with caution. The numbers presented here exclude children aged 0–9.

Source: SHSC 2019–20; see also Table SHSC3.

Indigenous status

About 1 in 5 (21% or 4,600) clients with disability are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, compared with more than 1 in 4 (28% or 63,000) clients without disability (with known disability and Indigenous status).

Indigenous clients (6.8% or 4,600) are less likely to have disability than non-Indigenous clients (9.4% or 17,100). However, Indigenous clients with disability are more likely to have severe or profound disability (34% or 1,600) than non-Indigenous clients with disability (28% or 4,800).

Beginning of support

Male SHS clients with disability (53% or 5,400) are more likely than female clients (42% or 4,900) to be homeless when they started receiving support (for those with known disability and housing status). A similar trend is evident in clients without disability (Figure HOMELESSNESS.2).

Clients with disability (47% or 10,000) are slightly more likely than those without disability (43% or 99,000 for those with known disability status) to be homeless, rather than at risk of homelessness, when they started receiving support (Figure HOMELESSNESS.2).

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).

(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.

(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.

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).

End of support

Housing outcomes for clients with disability generally improve following support, with fewer being homeless when they leave support.

Four in 10 (42% or 6,600) clients with disability are homeless when they start support, compared with 3 in 10 (31% or 4,800) at the end of support (for SHS clients with known disability status and closed support period) (Figure HOMELESSNESS.4).  

The homelessness status at the end of support varies by the housing situation at the start of support. Clients with disability who begin support at risk of homelessness are much more likely to end support housed (82% or 6,500) than those who begin support homeless (36% or 2,400) (for SHS clients with known disability and closed support period).

This further varies by the living situation at the start of support (Figure HOMELESSNESS.5). Of clients with disability who begin support (for SHS clients with known disability and closed support period):

• at risk of homelessness, those living in
  • institutional settings are the least likely to be housed following support (62% or 500)
  • public or community housing are the most likely to be housed following support (89% or 2,000)
• homeless, those living
  • with no shelter or in an improvised or inadequate dwelling are the least likely to be housed following support (28% or 540)
  • in short-term temporary accommodation are as likely to be housed following support (39% or 990) as those who are couch surfing or have no tenure (39% or 840).

Clients with disability (59% or 9,200) are as likely as clients without disability (59% or 109,000) to end support housed, although there are some differences in their living situations at the end of support (for SHS clients with known disability and closed support period). For example, clients with disability are:

• more likely than clients without to exit support to public or community housing (22% or 3,400 compared with 18% or 32,900)
• less likely to exit to private or other housing (as a renter, rent free or owner) (33% or 5,100 compared with 39% or 71,900).

Changes over time

Between 2013–14 and 2019–20, there have been improvements in how likely homeless people with disability are to be housed following support (Table HOMELESSNESS.5). There was little change for those who began support when at risk of homelessness (Table HOMELESSNESS.6).

(a) ‘With disability’ includes only clients who have core activity limitations.

Notes:

1. The SHSC classifies clients as ‘homeless’ if they are living with no shelter or an improvised or inadequate dwelling, in short-term temporary accommodation, or in a house, townhouse or flat with relatives (rent free). It classifies clients as ‘housed’ if they are living in public or community housing (renter or rent free), private or other housing (renter or rent free), or in institutional settings.

2. Proportions include only clients with closed support and for whom housing status is known at first report and at end of support.

3. Data for 2013–14 to 2016–17 have been adjusted for non-response. Due to improvements in the rates of agency participation and SLK validity, data from 2017–18 are not weighted. The removal of weighting does not constitute a break in time series and weighted data from 2013–14 to 2016–17 are comparable with unweighted data for 2017–18 onwards.

Source: SHSC 2019–20; see also Table SHSC14.

(a) ‘With disability’ includes only clients who have core activity limitations.

Notes:

1. The SHSC classifies clients as ‘homeless’ if they are living with no shelter or an improvised or inadequate dwelling, in short-term temporary accommodation, or in a house, townhouse or flat with relatives (rent free). It classifies clients as ‘housed’ who are living in public or community housing (renter or rent free), private or other housing (renter or rent free), or in institutional settings.

2. Proportions include only clients with closed support and for whom housing status is known at first report and at end of support.

3. Data for 2013–14 to 2016–17 have been adjusted for non-response. Due to improvements in the rates of agency participation and SLK validity, data from 2017–18 are not weighted. The removal of weighting does not constitute a break in time series and weighted data from 2015–16 to 2016–17 are comparable with unweighted data for 2017–18 onwards.

Source: SHSC 2019–20; see also Table SHSC14.

Risk factors

Disability itself is considered one of several risk factors for experiencing homelessness. However, clients with disability are also more likely than clients without disability to have one or more other risk factors that increase their likelihood of experiencing homelessness, or that provide additional barriers to exiting homelessness, such as (for SHS clients aged 10 and over with known disability status):

• repeat homelessness – 5.8% (or 1,200) compared with 2.8% (or 5,700)
• mental health issues – 64% (or 13,300) compared with 36% (or 72,600)
• drug or alcohol misuse – 21% (or 4,300) compared with 12% (or 23,400)
• beginning support homeless – 46% (or 9,500) compared with 41% (or 82,900).

Clients with disability are less likely than clients without disability to be identified as having experienced domestic and family violence (32% or 6,500 compared with 37% or 74,400).

Clients with disability who have a mental health condition may face additional challenges. Compared with other clients with disability (for SHS clients with known disability status), those aged 10 and over who have a mental health issue are more likely to be identified as having:

• engaged in drug or alcohol misuse – 29% (or 3,800) compared with 7.1% (or 530)
• experienced domestic and family violence – 37% (or 4,900) compared with 23% (or 1,700)
• experienced repeat homelessness – 7.8% (or 1,000) compared with 2.3% (or 170)
• begun support homeless – 49% (or 6,500) compared with 40% (or 3,000) (Figure HOMELESSNESS.6).