Report on Government Services 2017

Volume G, Chapter 19

Homelessness services

This chapter focuses on specialist homelessness services funded by government under the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) and National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH), and the people accessing these services. Homelessness services that do not receive government funding and other non-specialist homelessness services are not included in this Report.

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Key Facts
Indicator Framework
Indicator Results
Indigenous Data

In 2015-16, the Australian and State and Territory government recurrent expenditure on specialist homelessness services was $763.6 million. Most of this expenditure (97.5 per cent) was funding provided to agencies to deliver services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Nationally in 2015-16, an estimated 279 196 people were provided support by specialist homelessness agencies. Specialist homelessness agencies provide a number of services to clients — across a range of support areas — including general services (provided to 90.0 per cent of clients), accommodation (31.3 per cent), assistance to sustain housing (26.9 per cent), and domestic violence services (23.9 per cent).

The specialist homelessness services system aims to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to achieve sustainable housing, social inclusion and greater economic participation, through the delivery of transitional supported accommodation and a range of related support services. Within this aim, the goals are to:

re‑establish family links where appropriate
re‑establish the capacity of clients to live independently.

Governments seek to achieve these aims through the delivery of services that:

are accessible
identify and address individuals’ urgent needs at presentation
identify and address individuals’ other needs as appropriate, intervening early to prevent the escalation of needs
are provided seamlessly where more than one service type is required
are of high quality, provided by qualified staff in a safe environment.

Governments aim for specialist homelessness services to meet these objectives in an equitable and efficient manner.

The performance indicator framework provides information on equity, efficiency and effectiveness, and distinguishes the outputs and outcomes of homelessness services. The performance indicator framework shows which data are complete and comparable in the 2017 Report.

Indicator framework

An overview of the Homelessness services performance indicator results are presented. Information to assist the interpretation of these data can be found in the indicator interpretation boxes in the Homelessness services chapter and attachment tables.

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Equity — Access indicators

Access of special needs groups to homelessness services

Access to homelessness services — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Representation among clients whose accommodation needs were met, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	29.5	11.8	35.0	52.5	31.5	14.5	20.0	78.9	29.7

Representation among clients whose need for services other than accommodation were met, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	23.4	5.9	31.2	20.3	19.7	11.8	12.1	69.6	16.4

Representation in the population, June 2015

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	3.0	0.9	4.4	3.7	2.4	5.1	1.8	30.0	3.1

Source: Attachment tables 19A.5 and 19A.8

Access to homelessness services — people born in non‑main English-speaking countries

Representation among clients whose accommodation needs were met, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	9.2	14.8	6.9	8.0	5.6	4.8	16.2	3.6	9.7

Representation among clients whose need for services other than accommodation were met, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	8.5	11.6	6.5	9.1	5.8	2.8	18.8	2.2	9.4

Representation in the population, 2011

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	17.9	18.9	9.2	13.7	12.3	4.9	16.3	9.5	15.1

Source: Attachment tables 19A.6 and 19A.8

Access to homelessness services — people with disability

Representation among clients whose accommodation needs were met, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	4.6	5.5	3.2	4.0	3.4	6.3	4.7	3.7	4.4

Representation among clients whose need for services other than accommodation were met, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	2.9	2.6	2.9	6.8	2.2	5.9	2.1	3.4	3.0

Representation in the population, 2015

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	5.9	6.4	5.6	4.1	7.2	7.8	4.9	3.2	5.8

Source: Attachment tables 19A.7 and 19A.8

Effectiveness — Access indicators

Unmet demand for homelessness services

Proportion of clients with unmet need for accommodation, 2015‑16

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable but are complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	34.2	33.0	26.5	14.3	17.2	23.9	34.1	6.5	28.7

Source: Attachment table 19A.9

Effectiveness — Appropriateness indicators

Development of a case management plan

Proportion of clients with a case management plan (closed support periods), 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	50.3	41.3	87.1	46.2	38.5	44.2	54.8	68.5	50.1

Source: Attachment table 19A.11

Match of needs of clients

Proportion of clients needing accommodation or accommodation related assistance who were provided with and/or referred for at least one accommodation or accommodation related service (closed support periods), 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable but are complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	61.2	61.8	72.2	85.0	82.2	72.0	53.4	93.6	68.1

Source: Attachment table 19A.14

Efficiency indicators

Cost per completed support period

Recurrent cost per completed support period, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable but are complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
$	2 499	1 222	2 290	2 343	1 913	2 186	3 607	2 010	1 839

Source: Attachment table 19A.18

Cost per client

Recurrent cost per client accessing homelessness services, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable but are complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
$	3 070	2 151	2 761	3 052	2 985	3 775	4 313	2 415	2 735

Source: Attachment table 19A.19

Cost per day of support

Recurrent cost per day of support for clients, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable but are complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
$	34.87	31.07	38.70	47.02	31.52	46.65	25.72	24.89	34.37

Source: Attachment table 19A.20

Outcome indicators

Achievement of employment on exit

Proportion of clients who needed employment and/or training assistance who were employed after support (closed support periods), 2015-16

Data for this indicator are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	19.8	17.3	16.9	15.5	14.0	14.7	23.1	16.9	18.2

Source: Attachment table 19A.21

Achievement of income on exit

Proportion of clients who needed income assistance who had an income source after support (closed support periods), 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	91.6	92.3	93.0	91.8	86.4	93.5	93.0	92.6	91.9

Source: Attachment table 19A.24

Achievement of independent housing on exit

Proportion of clients who needed assistance to obtain or maintain independent housing who obtained or maintained independent housing after support (closed support periods), 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	66.1	60.4	65.7	62.8	70.6	62.7	56.1	69.6	64.0

Source: Attachment table 19A.26

Proportion of people experiencing repeat periods of homelessness

Proportion of clients experiencing homelessness who had repeat periods of homelessness, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	6.4	5.5	6.3	6.0	5.3	6.1	7.9	7.4	5.6

Source: Attachment table 19A.31

Goals achieved on exit from service

Proportion of closed support periods with individual case management plan where half or more or all case management goals were achieved, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust
%	60.1	68.5	80.1	56.3	75.5	57.7	66.4	60.0	68.4

Source: Attachment table 19A.33

Notes

These data and caveats for these data are available in chapter 19 and attachment 19A.

Performance indicator data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this chapter are available in the attachment tables listed below. Contextual data and further supporting information can be found in the chapter.

Indigenous homelessness services data
Table number	Table title
Table 19A.5	Proportion of clients — with accommodation and services other than accommodation needs that were met — who were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
Table 19A.12	Proportion of closed support periods with an agreed case management plan, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
Table 19A.13	Support needs of clients, summary (closed support periods)
Table 19A.15	Support needs of clients, by service assistance type, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients (closed support periods)
Table 19A.22	Labour force status, before and after support, as a proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients who needed employment and/or training assistance (closed support periods)
Table 19A.25	Income status, before and after support, as a proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients who needed income assistance (closed support periods)
Table 19A.27	Housing tenure type, before and after support, as a proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients who needed assistance to obtain or maintain independent housing (closed support periods)
Table 19A.30	The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients who needed assistance to obtain or maintain independent housing and achieved it at the end of support, who did not present again with a need for accommodation assistance in the reporting period
Table 19A.32	Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients experiencing homelessness, who had repeat periods of homelessness