Introduction

This report presents data for the 2008-09 Commonwealth State Housing Agreement (CSHA) Crisis Accommodation Program (CAP) data collection. This is the last of the reports for this program: as the CSHA finished at 31 December 2008, the program is now funded under the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA).

The data presented below is provided in aggregate by states and territories and caution should be taken in comparing jurisdictions (jurisdiction footnotes should be read carefully in conjunction with this data). Data for previous years can be found in the Crisis Accommodation Program internet-only reports, available on the AIHW website. However, caution should be exercised in drawing comparisons over time due to differences in the application of data standards.

The report provides information about the dwellings funded under the CSHA Crisis Accommodation Program, which are used by governments, churches and other welfare organisations to assist people in situations of actual or impending crisis or homelessness. Additional support services to households assisted under the program are provided directly by health and community service organisations, and by the national Supported Accommodation Assistance Program and are therefore not described in this report.

Summary

In 2008-09, jurisdictions reported that the CSHA provided 7,687 dwellings for emergency accommodation under the Crisis Accommodation Program. This is an increase of 58 dwellings over last year. The amount of money spent on new dwellings remained relatively steady: $42.7 million was spent in the previous year compared to approximately $41.8 million in 2008-09. An additional $15.0 million was spent on maintenance of Crisis Accommodation Program properties in the same period.

There were 54,539 households assisted by the Crisis Accommodation Program in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia during 2008-09. Although all jurisdictions provide assistance under the Crisis Accommodation Program, data on the households occupying CAP dwellings in other jurisdictions were not available. Only data on the total number of households assisted is available for New South Wales.

Information on Indigenous status was only available for Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Among the 18,613 newly assisted households in these states during 2008-09, 3,181 (17%) identified as Indigenous households.

Crisis accommodation tenancy and property management, 2008-09:

For year ending 30 June 2009
Data no. Data item NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas ACT NT Total(a)
C1 Total number of new households assisted n.a. 8,478 8,776 1,359 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 18,613
C2 Total number of new Indigenous households assisted n.a. 560 2,059 562 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 3,181
C3 Total number of all households assisted 31,350 12,652 8,776 1,761 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 54,539
C4 Total number of all Indigenous households assisted n.a. 835 2,059 662 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 3,556

  1. Does not represent national totals due to data not being available for all jurisdictions. Also note that total figures should be interpreted with caution due to data inconsistency between jurisdictions.

At 30 June 2008
Data no. Data item NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas ACT NT Total(a)
C5 Total number of crisis accommodation dwellings 1,502 3,720 1,268 520 311 127 60 121 7,629

  1. Does not represent national totals due to data not being available for all jurisdictions. Also note that total figures should be interpreted with caution due to data inconsistency between jurisdictions.

At 30 June 2009
Data no. Data item NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas ACT NT Total(a)
C6 Total number of crisis accommodation dwellings 1,511 3,705 1,326 543 293 127 60 122 7,687

  1. Does not represent national totals due to data not being available for all jurisdictions. Also note that total figures should be interpreted with caution due to data inconsistency between jurisdictions.

For year ending 30 June 2009
Data no. Data item NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas ACT NT Total(a)
C7 Total number of additional dwellings 13 107 115 26 10 0 1 26 298
C8 Total number of new constructions 10 0 15 10 5 0 0 0 40
C9 Total number of dwellings deleted from stock 4 122 57 3 28 0 1 25 240
C10 Total capital expenditure ($'000) 5,809 9,612 18,801 4,423 1,949 271 528 397 41,790
C12 Total amount spent on housing maintenance ($'000) 3,589 7,902 1,964 594 456 312 176 n.a. 14,993

  1. Does not represent national totals due to data not being available for all jurisdictions. Also note that total figures should be interpreted with caution due to data inconsistency between jurisdictions.

Notes provided by jurisdictions
Jurisdiction Data no. Data note
NSW C3 This item represents the number of assistances, not the number of households. Calculated using 2008-09 stock figures and data from the Homeless people in SAAP - SAAP National Data Collection Annual Report 2007-08 (the report for 2008-09 is not available at the time of reporting).
  C10 The capital expenditure for 2007-08 was incorrectly reported as $7,952m. The correct figure is $6,739m.
Vic C1-C4 Improved information systems and the Victorian Homelessness Data Collection has allowed greater accuracy in determining household assists and demographics. This has led to some variance compared to previous years.
  C3 An additional 5,100 households are estimated to have been assisted during 2008-09 through community owned and managed crisis accommodation.
  C6, C7 As many crisis and transitional properties are leased, low opportunity in the private rental market has reduced acquisitions to crisis accommodation.
  C9 Deletions include transfer of dwellings to other programs, sales, demolitions, lease handbacks and stock loss through the conversion of dwellings.
Qld C1, C3 The number of households assisted is calculated from the most recent published data on the number of SAAP-CAP accommodation support periods in Queensland, adjusted for the proportion of dwellings that are CAP funded. As short term crisis accommodation is being provided (ie not ongoing housing assistance), the number of new households assisted will approximately equal the total number of households assisted.
  C2, C4 The number of Indigenous households assisted is estimated from the total number of households assisted and the percentage of accommodated SAAP clients who are Indigenous. The latter percentage is published in SAAP National Data Collection, Annual Report 2007-08, Queensland Supplementary Tables.
  C7 Additions comprised 59 transfers in from other programs, 9 purchases, 15 construction completions and 32 administrative adjustments resulting from reconciliation of stock counts with other sources. The high number of administrative adjustments was due to corrections to dwelling counts in boarding houses and hostels.
  C9 Deletions comprised 32 transfers out to other programs, 3 sales, 8 demolitions, 3 decreased leases and 11 adjustments due to administrative data corrections.
  C10, 12 Relates to Department of Communities expenditure on department owned properties only.
WA C1-C4 Data provided is from 18 CHO's who responded to the survey representing 25% of the providers and 41% of the stock.
  C5-C10 Sourced from departmental administrative data.
  C12 Sourced from departmental administrative data.
SA C5 30 June 2008 figure has changed due to 62 partially funded CAP properties being incorrectly excluded from 2007-08 calculations.
    Number of bedrooms = 783.
  C6 Number of bedrooms = 760
  C7 Number of bedrooms = 30
  C8 Number of bedrooms = 14
  C9 Number of bedrooms = 53
Tas C1-C4 Not reported to Housing Tasmania. Refer to the SAAP National Data Collection for information.
ACT C1 Organisations in the ACT who receive CAP properties and SAAP funding are not required to report housing data. The information on supported accommodation expenditure and tenancies etc. is collected for (completed) support periods and reported in the SAAP National data Collection. These support periods may relate to numerous episodes of support to the same individual/household.
  C2 Identification of indigeneity is not mandatory, but by self-identification on a voluntary basis.
  C7 One property was transferred from public housing for use as a CAP property during the year to meet provider's requirements.
  C9 One property was returned for use as public housing during the year.