Cross-agency data provides powerful insights for some vulnerable cohorts, including support needs and opportunities for prevention and early intervention in responding to homelessness.
Financial hardship
- People who have been on long term income support and rent assistance are at higher risk of homelessness:
- 1 in 10 people on working age payments and rent assistance access homelessness services over a year (107,000). The risk increases significantly for people who have experienced repeat homelessness.
- 1 in 12 people on parenting payments and rent assistance access homelessness services over a year (79,000). DFV victim incidents are high for this group.
Mental health
- Over the 6 years to June 2017, 14% of people accessing homelessness services had a mental health service need.
- People with evidence of acute mental health issues in their service history are 9 times more likely than those in the general population to present to homelessness services.
Substance use
- People with drug and alcohol-related service history are 8 times more likely to access homelessness services.
- People with drug and alcohol-related service use are more likely to be male and older compared to all homelessness services clients, although younger people with drug and alcohol service use still appear to be at higher risk of needing support.
Domestic and Family Violence
- Over the 6 years to June 2017, one-fifth of presentations (23%) to homelessness services reported a DFV service need. This group is more likely to be female and accompanied by children.
- People experiencing DFV are 20 times more likely than the wider NSW population to access homelessness services within a year of a police-recorded DFV incident. The risk is highest in the months immediately following the DFV incident but falls quickly.
- People accessing homelessness services with a DFV service need have a less intensive cross-sector service use history than other clients. Homelessness services may represent an early point of contact with government services for many within this vulnerable group.
Exiting custody
- One in 8 (12.4%) people leaving custody access homelessness services within a year – 20 times the rate of the wider NSW population. The rate for Aboriginal people is double that for non-Aboriginal people.
- A large proportion of people exiting custody also access Legal Aid (40%) and appear in court (38%) between their custody exit and accessing homelessness services.
Young people leaving out-of-home care
- For young people leaving OOHC in the 5 years to June 2016, 1 in 6 (17%) accessed homelessness services in the next year, evidence of significant housing instability for this group.
- Previous homelessness, walk-in mental health service use, and court appearances (including Youth Justice Centres and police cautions) are all predictive of increased risk of later accessing homelessness services.
- OOHC leavers who have already accessed SHS or Temporary Accommodation prior to leaving care for the final time have a 91% chance of experiencing repeated homelessness.
Aboriginal people
- Aboriginal people are significantly overrepresented in homelessness services, with one-third of people (30%) who access SHS identifying as Aboriginal.
- Aboriginal people have elevated service use across all services compared to the broader NSW population, but particularly for homelessness services (10x), court appearances (7x), Legal Aid (6x) and walk-in mental health services (4x).
- Aboriginal people with previous homelessness service use in the past 3 years are at very high risk of future homelessness. People experiencing repeat homelessness represent nearly half of SHS presentations by Aboriginal people.
