Specialist homelessness services annual report 2023–24

Access to stable accommodation is critical for successful reintegration into the community and people exiting custody can be highly vulnerable to not having adequate and stable accommodation (AIC 2018).  

For more information clients exiting institutions and care, and the policy landscape and government response, please see Clients exiting custodial arrangements.

Client characteristics

Figure EXIT.1: Key demographics, SHS clients exiting custodial arrangements, 2023–24

Labour force status

The majority of clients exiting custodial arrangements with known labour force status were not in the labour force (58%). More than two-fifths (40%) were unemployed (that is, seeking work) and only 2.7% were employed (Supplementary table EXIT.7). Female clients were more likely to be unemployed (46% of all female clients) than males (38%). Females were also more likely to be employed part-time (2.8%) than males (1.0%).

Service use patterns

On average, clients exiting custodial arrangements received a median of 44 days of support in 2023–24, up from 43 days in 2022–23. The average number of support periods per client was 1.9 support periods per client in 2023–24 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.48).

New or returning clients

In 2023–24 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.42), among SHS clients exiting custodial arrangements:

• One-quarter (24% or 2,100 clients) were new to SHS agencies and 76% (6,800 clients) were returning clients, having previously been assisted by a SHS agency at some point since the collection began in July 2011.
• The proportion of returning clients was one of the highest among all SHS client groups and higher than all SHS clients (64%; Supplementary table CLIENTS.2).
• New clients were more likely to be under 18 (8.0%, compared with 3.4% of returning clients).

Clients’ needs and main reason for assistance

Main reasons for seeking assistance

Clients exiting custodial arrangements were most likely to identify transition from custodial arrangements as the main reason for seeking assistance, regardless of if they were at risk of homelessness at first presentation (82% or 5,000 clients) or experiencing homelessness (43% or 1,100 clients) (Supplementary table EXIT.6). For clients presenting at risk of homelessness, other main reasons for seeking assistance were (Supplementary table EXIT.6):

• housing crisis (3.0%)
• family and domestic violence (1.9%)
• inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (1.8%).

For clients presenting experiencing homelessness, other main reasons for seeking assistance were:

• inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (13%)
• housing crisis (12%)
• housing affordability stress (6.8%).

Services needed and provided

Services provided to SHS clients exiting custodial arrangements range from the direct provision of accommodation, such as a bed in a shelter, to more specialised services such as counselling and legal support. These services are generally either provided to the client directly by the agency or the client is referred to another SHS agency or specialised service. 

Services most commonly needed by clients exiting custody during 2023–24 were (Figure EXIT.2, Supplementary table EXIT.2):

• short-term or temporary accommodation (47% or 4,200 clients), with 2,400 clients provided this assistance
• medium-term or transitional housing (33% or 2,900 clients), with 460 clients provided this assistance. 

Clients exiting custody were more likely than all SHS clients to need the following services including (Supplementary tables EXIT.2, CLIENTS.24):

• assistance with challenging social/behavioural problems (14%, compared with 11%) 
• drug/alcohol counselling (8.1%, compared with 2.9%)
• employment assistance (8.5%, compared with 5.8%).

Figure EXIT.2: Clients exiting custodial arrangements, by services needed and provided, 2023–24

Housing situation and outcomes

Outcomes presented here highlight the changes in clients’ housing situation at the start and end of support. That is, the place they were residing before and after they were supported by a SHS agency. The information presented is limited only to clients who have stopped receiving support during the financial year and who were no longer receiving ongoing support from a SHS agency. That is, information on client housing situations at the start of their first period of support during 2023–24 is compared with the client housing situation at the end of their last period of support in 2023–24. As such, this information does not cover any changes to their housing situation during their support period.

In 2023–24, of the approximately 1,800 clients exiting custodial arrangements who were known to be experiencing homelessness at start of support (Supplementary table EXIT.3):

• 1,100 clients were known to be experiencing homelessness when support ended; of these, around 510 were living in short-term temporary accommodation. 

In 2023–24, of the approximately 4,900 clients exiting custodial arrangements who were known to be at risk of homelessness at the start of support (Supplementary table EXIT.3):

• Most clients maintained their housing situation when support ended; around 3,000 clients maintained housing in institutional settings.
• Around 800 were experiencing homelessness when support ended, with 470 of these in short term accommodation.

These trends demonstrate that known housing outcomes at the end of support can be challenging for clients transitioning from institutional settings. While some clients progressed towards more positive housing solutions, many remained in institutional settings, returned to institutional settings or were in temporary accommodation at the end of support.