Clients with a current mental health issue
On this page In this section
Key findings and insights Client characteristics Client needs and main reason for assistance Housing situation and outcomesKey findings and insights
In 2024–25:
- SHS agencies assisted around 88,800 clients with a current mental health issue; of these clients, over half (45,900 clients) were experiencing homelessness when they first presented to the agency.
- People with a current mental health issue were the second largest group of SHS clients, making up around a third (31%) of all SHS clients.
- The number of clients with a current mental health issue has increased at a rate faster than most other client groups, since the collection began in July 2011 – by an average of 5.4% each year which was nearly 4 times the rate for all SHS clients (1.6%).
- Clients with a current mental health issue were most likely to be living alone (51% or 44,300 clients), female (63% or 55,800 clients) and aged 25–44 years (46%).
- Among clients with a current mental health issue who finished support in 2024–25, around 9,000 were rough sleeping at the start of their support – one of the highest levels across SHS client groups – and about 4,000 remained rough sleeping at the end.
In 2024–25, around 1 in 3 clients (88,800 clients) accessing specialist homelessness services (SHS) experienced mental health issues. Nationally, the number of these clients has grown, increasing on average by 6.3% per year for women and 4.1% for men since 2011–12 (Historical table HIST.MH).
The environmental stressors associated with homelessness can contribute to existing mental health issues, while poor mental health can also increase the risk of experiencing homelessness (Brackertz et al. 2020; Moschion and Ours 2021).
Mental health issues are closely linked to employment status among SHS clients – 9 in 10 clients with a mental health issue were unemployed or not in the labour force, which may increase their need for future support. Through SHS support, these clients can receive mental health and employment support alongside other services.
For more information on people with mental health issues, and the policy landscape and government response, see Clients with a current mental health issue.
Specialist homelessness services (SHS) clients are identified as having a current mental health issue if they are aged 10 years or older and have provided any of the following information:
- They indicated that at the beginning of support they were receiving services or assistance for their mental health issues or had in the last 12 months.
- Their formal referral source to the SHS was a mental health service.
- They reported ‘mental health issues’ as a reason for seeking assistance.
- Their dwelling type either a week before presenting to an agency, or when presenting to an agency, was a psychiatric hospital or unit.
- They had been in a psychiatric hospital or unit in the last 12 months.
- At some stage during their support period, a need was identified for psychological services, psychiatric services or mental health services.
Client characteristics
In 2024–25, SHS clients with a current mental health issue were most likely to be female (63%), aged 25–44 years (45%) and living alone (51%).
Figure MH.1: Key demographics, SHS clients with a current mental health issue, 2024–25
Dashboard shows the number of SHS clients who had a current mental health issue, by sex, by states and territories, by homeless status, by vulnerabilities, by Indigenous status, and by living arrangements.
To compare selected characteristics and experiences across the SHS client groups presented in this report, please refer to the Client group comparison visualisations.
Labour force status
Around 9 in 10 clients with a current mental health issue (aged 15 and older) were not working in a paid job (87% or 70,600 clients) in 2024–25 (Supplementary table MH.7). More than half (56%) of clients were looking for work (that is, unemployed) and one-third (31%) were not in the labour force. Around 1 in 8 clients (13%) with a current mental health issue were employed.
Service use patterns
Patterns of service use have been stable in recent years. In 2024–25, clients with a current mental health issue received (Supplementary table CLIENTS.48):
- a median of 89 days of support, up from 85 days in 2020–21
- an average of 2.2 support periods
- a median of 49 nights of accommodation.
New or returning clients
In 2024–25, among SHS clients with a current mental health issue (Supplementary table CLIENTS.42):
- around 7 in 10 (71% or 63,300 clients) were returning clients
- around 3 in 10 (29% or 25,500) were new to SHS agencies.
Client needs and main reason for assistance
One-fifth (21%) of clients with a current mental health issue identified housing crisis (for example, eviction) as the main reason for seeking SHS services, and another fifth (19%) identified family and domestic violence as the main reason.
Main reasons for seeking assistance
In 2024–25, the main reason that clients with a current mental health issue sought assistance from an SHS agency was not commonly related to mental health issues (4.1% or 3,600 clients). Instead, the main reasons for seeking assistance were for (Supplementary table MH.5):
- housing crisis (21% or 18,400 clients)
- family and domestic violence (19% or 17,100)
- inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (14% or 12,000).
Among those experiencing homelessness, the main reason was housing crisis (23% or 10,400 clients), while for those at risk of homelessness it was family and domestic violence (23% or 9,300) (Supplementary table MH.6).
Services needed and provided
Services provided to clients 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 other specialised service.
In 2024–25, assistance with accessing mental health services was relatively common, with more than one-quarter (25% or 22,400) of clients with a current mental health issue needing assistance with mental health (Figure MH.2, Supplementary table MH.2). Specifically:
- almost 1 in 4 (23% or 20,600 clients) needed mental health services, with around half (9,900 of these clients) provided with this type of service.
- around 1 in 14 (7.3% or 6,500 clients) identified a need for psychological services, with around 1 in 3 (2,300 of these clients) provided with this type of service.
- around 1 in 20 (5.1% or 4,500 clients) identified a need for psychiatric services; with around 1 in 3 (1,500 of these clients) provided with this type of service.
Other services most commonly needed by clients with a current mental health issue during 2024–25 were:
- short-term or emergency accommodation (49%, 43,300 clients), with around 23,700 clients provided this assistance.
- material aid/brokerage (47%, 41,400 clients), with around 36,800 clients provided this assistance.
Figure MH.2: Clients with a current mental health issue, by services needed and provided, 2024–25
Stacked bar chart shows long-term housing and short-term or emergency accomodation were the most common services needed for clients with a current mental health issue.
Housing situation and outcomes
Among SHS clients with a current mental health issue who finished support in 2024–25, around 9,000 were rough sleeping at the start of their support—one of the highest levels across SHS client groups—and about 4,000 remained rough sleeping at the end.
This section highlights changes in clients’ housing situation between the start and end of support. That is, the place they were living before and after receiving assistance from a SHS agency. The data includes only clients who ceased receiving SHS support during the financial year and were no longer receiving ongoing support from a SHS agency.
Specifically, it compares clients’ housing at the start of their first support period in 2024–25 with the end of their last support period in 2024–25. It does not capture changes that occurred during a support period, nor changes throughout the year between different support periods.
By the end of support, many clients with a current mental health issue had achieved or progressed towards a more stable housing situation. In particular, the number or proportion of clients ending support in public/community housing or private housing had increased compared with the start of support.
In 2024–25, of those who were known to be experiencing homelessness at the start of support (around 29,100 clients) (Figure MH.3, Supplementary table MH.3):
- Around 11,000 clients were in short-term accommodation at the start of support, with around 4,600 still in short-term accommodation at the end of their support.
- Fewer clients were experiencing homelessness when support ended (around 17,700 clients).
- At the end of support, most clients were either in short-term accommodation (7,200 clients) or couch surfing (around 5,500 clients).
- About 3,900 clients were living in public/community housing and 4,500 in private housing by the end of support.
In 2024–25, of those who were known to be at risk of homelessness at the start of support (27,400 clients), most clients maintained their housing situation at the end of support; around 14,000 clients maintained private housing and around 4,900 clients maintained public/community housing.
Figure MH.3: Housing situation for clients with a current mental health issue with closed support, 2024–25
Sankey diagram shows the most common housing situation at the start and end of support for clients with a current mental health issue was private or other housing.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2023) National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, ABS, Australian Government, accessed 12 September 2025.
Brackertz N, Borrowman L, Roggenbuck C, Pollock S and Davis E (2020) Trajectories: the interplay between mental health and housing pathways: Final research report, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited (AHURI) and Mind Australia, accessed 12 September 2025.
Moschion J and Ours JC (2021) ‘Do transitions in and out of homelessness relate to mental health episodes? A longitudinal analysis in an extremely disadvantaged population’, Social Science & Medicine, 279, doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113667.