Presenting unit and Living arrangements
Most clients (87% or over 23,600) with problematic drug and/or alcohol use presented to services for assistance alone, higher than for all SHS clients (63%) (Supplementary tables CLIENTS.9 and CLIENTS.40). A further 8.0% (or more almost 2,200) of clients who were single with one or more children, which was much lower than the rate for all SHS clients (28%).
The living arrangements reported by SHS clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use at the beginning of support were quite different from the overall SHS population and other client groups. In 2020–21 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.10):
- Almost 60% (or around 15,800) clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were living alone at the beginning of SHS support (Supplementary table CLIENTS.41), higher than the proportion for all SHS clients (32%) and other client groups, such as clients with a current mental health issue (47%) and clients with disability (39%).
- Comparatively fewer clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were living as one parent with child(ren) (11% or 3,050 compared with 33% of all SHS clients) (Supplementary table CLIENTS.10 and CLIENTS.41).
Selected vulnerabilities
Most clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use face additional challenges which may make them more vulnerable to homelessness. The selected additional vulnerabilities presented here include family and domestic violence and/or a current mental health issue.

Service use patterns
The length of support provided to clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use increased in 2020–21 to a median of 110 days, up from 83 days in 2016–17. The average number of support periods per client has been relatively consistent over time from an average of 2.9 support periods per client in 2016–17 to 3.1 in 2020–21. The proportion of clients receiving accommodation has increased slightly from 49% in 2016–17 to 52% in 2020–21, while the median number of nights accommodated increased from 40 in 2016–17 to 47 in 2020–21 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.44).
New or returning clients
In 2020–21 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.38):
- Clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were more likely to have received SHS services in the past (78% or almost 21,400 clients) than be new clients (22% or almost 5,900). That is, more clients had previously been assisted by a SHS agency at some point since the collection began in July 2011.
- Clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were more likely to be returning (78%), compared with other client groups, for example 69% of clients with a mental health issue and 61% of the all SHS clients. This may reflect the cyclical nature of insecure housing among people with problematic drug and/or alcohol use.
Main reasons for seeking assistance
In 2020–21, the main reasons clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use presented to SHS agencies were (Supplementary tables SUB.4 and CLIENTS.21):
- housing crisis (19%, compared with 18% of the overall SHS population)
- inadequate/inappropriate dwelling conditions (16%, compared with 12%)
- family and domestic violence (13%, compared with 29%).
Few clients (4.3%) with problematic drug and/or alcohol use reported substance use issues as the main reason for seeking SHS assistance.
Services needed and provided
In 2020–21, the top 6 needs reported by SHS clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use mainly related to housing and tenure (Supplementary table SUB.2).