The service use patterns of young people presenting alone to an SHS agency has generally been stable over time. Between 2017–18 and 2021–22 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.46):
- The average number of support periods per client has remained at 1.9 support periods.
- The median number of nights accommodated has stayed between 43 (in 2019–20) to 46 (in 2021–22) nights.
- The proportion of clients receiving accommodation has remained around 31%.
- The length of support (median number of days) has increased to 62 days in 2021–22, from 49 days in 2017–18.
In 2021–22, the main reasons for seeking assistance among young people presenting alone were (Supplementary table YOUNG.5):
- housing crisis (19% or around 7,200 clients)
- family and domestic violence (16% or 6,200 clients)
- relationship/family breakdown (12% or 4,700 clients).
Young people experiencing homelessness at first presentation identified housing crisis (22%, compared with 15% of clients at risk) or inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (16%, compared with 8.3% at risk) as the main reason for seeking assistance more commonly than those at risk of homelessness (Supplementary table YOUNG.6). Family and domestic violence (19%, compared with 11% of homeless clients) was the most commonly reported main reason for seeking assistance among young people presenting alone who were at risk of homelessness (Supplementary table YOUNG.6).
Services needed and provided
Similar to the overall SHS population in 2021–22, 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.24):
- living skills/personal development (33%, compared with 17%), with 92% receiving this service
- educational assistance (18%, compared with 8%), with 74% receiving this service
- employment assistance (18%, compared with 5.9%), with 72% receiving this service
- training assistance (12%, compared with 3.7%), with 70% receiving this service.