Specialist homelessness services annual report 2023–24

People leaving care arrangements, including people transitioning from health care settings (hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation and aged care facilities) and young people transitioning from out-of-home care (foster care and residential care facilities), can find themselves particularly vulnerable to homelessness. 

In 2022–23, around 4,200 young people aged 15–17 were discharged from out-of-home care in Australia (AIHW 2024), corresponding with the end of formal support in the child protection system. Around 1 in 3 (30%) young people leaving out-of-home care experience homelessness at some stage within their first year after leaving care, 37% of these for 6 months or more (McDowall 2020). Another study of care leavers in Victoria found that more than half (54%) of young people experienced homelessness within 4 years of leaving out-of-home-care (Martin et al. 2021).

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care face barriers to accessing the same opportunities as their non-care peers who increasingly rely on parental resources in young adulthood (Wilkins et al. 2019). During this accelerated transition to independence, young people leaving care need adequate support to access safe and stable housing, education, employment, financial security, supportive relationships and networks, and life skills (FaHCSIA 2011).

People transitioning from health care settings are also at risk of being discharged into homelessness. In a study of people who have experienced homelessness, 17% had been admitted to hospital for a mental health diagnosis in the previous 2 years (Wood et al. 2016). Discharge from a psychiatric hospital in particular has been identified as a key pathway into homelessness among people with mental health issues (Nielssen et al. 2018). This can be due to inadequate transition planning, undertaking discharge assessments in time or resource-pressured environments and limited options for exit into suitable and secure housing (Brackertz et al. 2018).

Client characteristics

Figure LCARE.1: Key Demographics, SHS clients leaving care, 2023–24

Housing situation at the beginning of support

In 2023–24, of the 6,200 SHS clients who were leaving care and stated their dwelling type at the beginning of support (Supplementary table LCARE.7):

• around 1,600 clients (27%) were living in independent housing (house/townhouse/flat)
• around 1,200 (19%) were staying in a psychiatric hospital or unit
• just under 1,100 (18%) were staying in a hospital (excluding psychiatric).

New or returning clients

Around one-third (33% or 2,000) of clients leaving care were new to SHS services in 2023–24, and two-thirds (67% or 4,100 clients) were returning clients, having previously been assisted by a SHS agency at some point since the SHSC began in July 2011 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.42).

• More than half (53% or 650) of clients under 18 years were returning clients.
• More than two-thirds (72% or 800) of clients aged 18–24 were returning clients. These age groups include young people who may have left foster care or other out-of-home care arrangements.

Service use patterns

In 2023–24, clients leaving care received a median of 76 days of support, up from 63 days in 2017–18, an average of 2.0 support periods per client, and a median of 53 nights of accommodation (Supplementary table CLIENTS.48).

Clients’ needs and main reason for assistance

Main reasons for seeking assistance

The main reason SHS clients leaving care sought assistance was different for those experiencing homelessness compared with those presenting to services at risk of homelessness.

For those SHS clients leaving care experiencing homelessness the main reasons for seeking assistance were (Supplementary table LCARE.6):

• transition from other care arrangements (21% or 350 clients)
• housing crisis (13% or 220).
• transition from foster care and child safety residential placements (12% or 190)

The main reasons for seeking assistance for clients leaving care who were at risk of homelessness were:

• housing crisis (16% or 710 clients)
• mental health issues (11% or 465)
• family and domestic violence (9.3% or 415).

Services needed and provided

Clients leaving care were more likely than all SHS clients to need services including (Supplementary tables LCARE.2, CLIENTS.24):

• living skills/personal development (29% or 1,800 clients, compared with 16% of all SHS clients), with 1,600 clients receiving this service
• transport (26% or 1,600 clients, compared with 16%), with 1,500 clients receiving this service
• assistance with challenging social/behavioural problems (21% or 1,300 clients, compared with 11%), with 1,100 clients receiving this service
• mental health services (approximately 18% or 1,100 clients, compared with 8.1%), with 630 clients receiving this service and a further 150 referred.

Figure LCARE.2: Clients leaving care, 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. In particular, information on client housing situations at the start of their first period of support during 2023–24 is compared with 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.

The most common housing situation for clients leaving care at both the beginning and end of SHS support was institutional settings (Supplementary table LCARE.3). Institutional settings include hospitals, psychiatric hospital/units, rehabilitation and aged care facilities and may be a reflection of support provided while clients were in these settings or may reflect clients returned to these settings.

• Just under 2,600 clients (63%) were housed in institutional settings at the beginning of support
• Around 1,100 clients (28%) were housed in institutional settings at the end of support. 

By the end of support, some clients had achieved or progressed towards a more positive housing solution, however, for some clients transitioning from institutional settings can be challenging. 

In 2023–24, of the approximately 1,000 clients leaving care who were known to be experiencing homelessness at the start of support (Supplementary table LCARE.3):

• around 540 clients were homeless when support ended.
• most clients were either in short-term accommodation (290 clients) or couch surfing (170 clients) when support ended.
• around 160 clients were in private housing when support ended.

In 2023–24, of the approximately 3,100 clients leaving care who were known to be at risk of homelessness at the start of support (Supplementary table LCARE.3):

• most were housed in institutional settings at the start of support (2,600 clients) and, of these, around 990 clients were in institutional settings when support ended.
• around 1 in 4 (25%) were experiencing homelessness when support ended, a greater proportion than any other client group.

Figure LCARE.3: Housing situation for clients leaving care with closed support, 2023–24