Service use patterns
The length of support young people presenting alone received increased in 2020–21 to a median of 60 days, up from 47 days in 2016–17. The average number of support periods per client has remained consistent over time from an average of 1.9 support periods per client in 2016–17 to 1.9 in 2020–21. The proportion of clients receiving accommodation has remained constant; 31% in 2016–17 and 32% in 2020–21. The median number of nights accommodated increased from 44 in 2016–17 to 46 in 2020–21 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.44).
Main reasons for seeking assistance
In 2020–21, the main reasons for seeking assistance among young people presenting alone were (Supplementary table YOUNG.4):
- family and domestic violence (17% or around 7,000 clients)
- housing crisis (17% or around 7,000 clients)
- relationship/family breakdown (13% or over 5,200 clients).
Young people who were known to be homeless at first presentation were more likely to identify housing crisis (22%, compared with 13% of clients at risk) or inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (17%, compared with 8.9% at risk) as their main reason for seeking assistance (Supplementary table YOUNG.5).
Family and domestic violence was the most commonly reported main reason for seeking assistance among young people presenting alone who were known to be at risk of homelessness (21%, compared with 9.9% of homeless clients) (Supplementary table YOUNG.5).
Services needed and provided
Similar to the overall SHS population, the majority of young people presenting alone needed general services that were provided by SHS agencies including advice/information, advocacy/liaison on behalf of the client and other basic assistance.
Young people presenting alone were more likely than the overall SHS population to request services including (Supplementary tables YOUNG.2, CLIENTS.23):
- living skills/personal development (34%, compared with 18%), with 91% receiving this service
- educational assistance (19%, compared with 8.3%), with 73% receiving this service
- employment assistance (17%, compared with 6.0%), with 69% receiving this service
- training assistance (13%, compared with 3.9%), with 65% receiving this service.