Outcomes for clients at start and end of support

Many of the data items in the Specialist Homelessness Services Collection (SHSC) are collected at the start and end of support. Start of support is defined as the start of a client’s earliest support period in their first year of support. End of support is defined as the end of the last support period in their last year of receiving support, or if the last support period has not closed, the end of the reporting period (30 June 2017). This section examines differences between the circumstances of clients at the start of support and at the end of support. By comparing the results at these 2 points in time for 4 outcome measures (housing situation, education enrolment status, labour force status, and main source of income), it is possible to examine whether the outcomes of clients have improved after their support.

Box 8: Factors to consider in this section

  • Some clients may have only received support in 1 support period over the 6-year reporting period between 2011–12 and 2016–17. For these clients, their status at the start of support will be their status at the beginning of their sole support period, and their status at the end of support will be their status at the end of this same support period.
  • For clients who had more than 1 period of support during the 6-year reporting period, their status at the start of support will be their status as at the beginning of their first support period. Similarly, their status at the end of support will be recorded as their status as at the end of their last support period.
  • If there is a change between the outcome for clients at the start of support compared with the end of support, it is not possible to attribute causation to the support the client received.
  • Different clients received support for a different number of years, and so the length of time between the start of support and the end of support will be different for each client.

Housing situation at start and end of support

When a person presents to a specialist homelessness service (SHS) agency at the start of support, their housing situation is categorised as either being ‘homeless’ or ‘at risk of homelessness’. Clients are categorised as homeless if they are: living in non-conventional accommodation; sleeping rough; or living in short-term or emergency accommodation. Clients are categorised as being at risk of homelessness if they are currently living in accommodation but are: at risk of losing their accommodation; or experiencing 1 or more factors that can contribute to homelessness. A small proportion of clients may also have their housing situation recorded as ‘not stated’ at the start of support if their housing situation is unknown.

Among the 1,082 ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) SHS clients whose housing situation was known at the start of support, 46% were homeless and 54% were at risk of homelessness. The results for Australian SHS clients at the start of support were similar—43% were homeless at the start of support, and 57% were at risk of homelessness (AIHW 2019).

Among the 1,039 ex-serving ADF SHS clients whose housing situation was known at the end of support, 41% were homeless and 59% were in stable housing. Among Australian SHS clients whose housing situation was known at the end of support, 32% were homeless and 68% were in stable housing (AIHW 2019).

Among the 367 clients who received services in multiple financial years (and whose housing situation was known at the start of support), just under half (48%) were homeless, and 52% were at risk of being homeless. Of the 367 clients who received services in multiple years and whose housing situation was known at the end of support, 40% were homeless at the end of support, and 60% were in stable housing.

Housing outcomes at end of support by situation at start of support

Analysis was also conducted to investigate whether clients in different housing situations at the start of support (homeless or at risk) had different outcomes at the end of support (homeless or in stable housing).

Of the 439 ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were homeless at the start of support (and whose housing situation was known both at the start and end of support), 32% were in stable housing at the end of support and 68% remained homeless (Table 10). Of the 541 ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were at risk at the start of support (and whose housing situation was known at both time points), the majority (82%) were in stable housing at the end of support and 18% were homeless.

Australian SHS clients were more likely to be in stable housing at the end of support, compared with ex-serving ADF SHS clients. Of the Australian SHS clients who were homeless at the start of support, 38% were in stable housing at the end of support and 62% remained homeless. Of the Australian SHS clients who were at risk at the end of support, 90% were in stable housing at the end of support and 10% were homeless.

Table 10: Ex-serving ADF SHS clients (2011–12 to 2016–17) and Australian SHS clients (2017–18), housing situation at start of support by housing situation at end of support

Population group

Housing situation at start of support

Housing situation at end of support: homeless (%)

Housing situation at end of support: stable housing (%)

Ex-serving ADF SHS clients 2011–12 to 2016–17

Homeless

68

32

At risk of homelessness

18

82

Australian SHS clients 2017–18

Homeless

62

38

At risk of homelessness

10

90

Notes

  1. For ex-serving ADF SHS clients, the data for housing situation includes all clients, regardless of whether all of their support periods have been closed. For Australian SHS clients, the data for housing situation only includes clients whose support periods have all been closed. This may limit the comparability of these results.
  2. Percentages for housing situation at the end of support have been calculated using the denominator of ex-serving ADF SHS clients in each housing situation category whose housing situation was known at both the start and end of support (439 for homeless, 541 for at risk), excluding those whose situation was not stated.
  3. Housing situation at the start of support is the housing situation of a client during the financial year in which the client first received SHS support. Clients at the start of support are categorised as either homeless or at risk of homelessness.
  4. Housing situation at the end of support is the housing situation of a client during the financial year in which the client last received SHS support. Clients at the end of support are categorised as either homeless or in stable housing.

Sources: AIHW analysis of linked PMKeyS–SHSC data 2011–12 to 2016–17 (Ex-serving ADF SHS clients); AIHW Specialist Homelessness Services Collection 2017–18 (Australian SHS clients).

Specific categories of housing situation at start and end of support

Analysis was conducted to examine the proportion of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were in each of the specific categories of housing situation (sub-categories of homeless or at risk) at the start of support (1,082 clients whose housing situation was known) and end of support (1,039 clients whose housing situation was known). These changes over time were compared for ex-serving ADF SHS clients and Australian SHS clients.

For both ex-serving ADF SHS clients and Australian SHS clients, the proportion of clients who were sleeping rough (no shelter/improvised) or couch surfing decreased from the start to the end of support:

  • The proportion of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were sleeping rough decreased from 18% to 11%, and the proportion who were couch surfing decreased from 14% to 9% (Figure 5).
  • The proportion of Australian SHS clients who were sleeping rough decreased from 10% to 6%, and the proportion who were couch surfing decreased from 17% to 12%.

For both groups of clients, the highest proportion of clients were in private housing at both the start and end of support, and the proportion of clients in public or community housing increased from start to end of support.

  • The proportion of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were in public or community housing increased from 5% to 12%, and the proportion in private housing remained consistent over time (ranging from 37% to 39%).
  • The proportion of Australian SHS clients in public or community housing increased from 15% to 22%, and the proportion in private housing increased from 39% to 44%.

Figure 5: Ex-serving ADF SHS clients, by housing situation at start and end of support, 2011–12 to 2016–17

This bar chart shows the largest group of ex-serving ADF SHS clients were in private housing at the start (37%25) and end of support (39%25). The proportion of clients sleeping rough or those who were couch surfing decreased, and the proportion of clients in short-term accommodation or in public/community housing increased.

Notes

  1. No shelter/improvised includes inadequate dwellings, short-term accommodation includes temporary and emergency accommodation; couch surfer/no tenure includes living in a house, townhouse or flat with relatives rent free; institutional settings includes hospitals, rehabilitation facilities or aged care facilities; public/community housing includes both renting or rent free; and private/other housing includes both renting or rent free.
  2. The data for housing situation includes all clients, regardless of whether all of their support periods have been closed.
  3. Percentages for housing situation have been calculated using the total number of ex-serving ADF SHS clients as denominator, excluding those whose status was not stated.
  4. Housing situation at the start of support is the housing situation of a client during the financial year in which the client first received SHS support. Clients at the start of support are categorised as either homeless or at risk of homelessness.
  5. Housing situation at the end of support is the housing situation of a client during the financial year in which the client last received SHS support. Clients at the end of support are categorised as either homeless or in stable housing.

Source: AIHW analysis of linked PMKeyS–SHSC data 2011–12 to 2016–17; Table S5.

The housing outcomes at the end of support differed between clients in the 3 different housing situation categories of ‘homeless’ at the start of support (Figure 6):

  • Of the 129 ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were ‘couch surfers’ at the start of support (living in house, townhouse or flat with no tenure), 39% were in stable housing at the end of support.
  • Of the 124 ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were in short-term temporary accommodation at the start of support, 31% were in stable housing at the end of support.
  • Of the 174 ex-serving ADF SHS clients who had no shelter at the start of support (sleeping rough), 29% were in stable housing at the end of support.

Figure 6: Ex-serving ADF SHS clients, housing situation at start of support (homeless) by housing situation at end of support, 2011–12 to 2016–17

This infographic illustrates the housing situation of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were homeless at the start of support, and their housing situation at the end of support. Of these clients, between 61%25 and 71%25 were homeless at the end of support, and between 29%25 and 39%25 were in stable housing at the end of support.

Notes

  1. No shelter/improvised includes inadequate dwellings, short-term accommodation includes temporary and emergency accommodation; couch surfer/no tenure includes living in a house, townhouse or flat with relatives rent free.
  2. The data for housing situation includes all clients, regardless of whether all of their support periods have been closed.
  3. Housing situation at the start of support is the housing situation of a client during the financial year in which the client first received SHS support. Clients at the start of support are categorised as either homeless or at risk of homelessness.
  4. Housing situation at the end of support is the housing  situation of a client during the financial year in which the client last received SHS support. Clients at the end of support are categorised as either homeless or in stable housing.
  5. Percentages for housing situation at the end of support have been calculated using the total number of ex-serving ADF SHS clients in the housing situation at the start of support as denominator, excluding those whose status was not stated.

Source: AIHW analysis of linked PMKeyS–SHSC data 2011–12 to 2016–17; Table S6.

For clients who were in different at risk housing situations at the start of support, although the majority of clients did not become homeless, there were differences in the proportion who were in stable housing at the end of support (Figure 7):

  • Of the 73 ex-serving ADF SHS clients in institutional settings at the start of support, 60% were in stable housing at the end of support.
  • Of the 367 ex-serving ADF SHS clients in private or other housing at the start of support, 84% were in stable housing at the end of support.
  • Of the 54 ex-serving ADF SHS clients in public or community housing at the start of support, 93% were in stable housing at the end of support.

A higher proportion of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were in institutional settings at the start of support were homeless at the end of support, compared with clients in private or public housing at the start of support. It should be noted that this pattern is broadly consistent with the results for the general Australian population of SHS clients, where a higher proportion of clients who were in institutional settings at the start of support were homeless at the end of support, compared with those in private or community housing situations (AIHW 2019).

Figure 7: Ex-serving ADF SHS clients, housing situation at start of support (at risk) by housing situation at end of support, 2011–12 to 2016–17

Caution: these results are based on small numbers. This infographic illustrates the housing situation of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were at risk of homelessness at the start of support, and their housing situation at the end of support.
A lower proportion of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who were in institutional settings at the start of support were in stable housing at the end of support (60%25), compared with clients in private housing (84%25) or clients in public/community housing (93%25).

Notes

  1. Some of these results are based on small numbers and so caution should be taken in the interpretation of these results.
  2. Institutional settings includes hospitals, rehabilitation facilities or aged care facilities; public/community housing includes both renting or rent free; and private/other housing includes both renting or rent free.
  3. The data for housing situation includes all clients, regardless of whether all of their support periods have been closed.
  4. Housing situation at the start of support is the housing situation of a client during the financial year in which the client first received SHS support. Clients at the start of support are categorised as either homeless or at risk of homelessness.
  5. Housing situation at the end of support is the housing situation of a client during the financial year in which the client last received SHS support. Clients at the end of support are categorised as either homeless or in stable housing.
  6. Percentages for housing situation at the end of support have been calculated using the total number of ex-serving ADF SHS clients in the housing situation at the start of support as denominator, excluding those whose status was not stated.

Source: AIHW analysis of linked PMKeyS–SHSC data 2011–12 to 2016–17; Table S6.

Education enrolment status

One of the outcome measures which is collected during support is the client’s education enrolment status. Clients are recorded as having any enrolment if they are formally enrolled in an academic institution or technical college, or other accredited teaching institution, and/or engaged in employment related formal training.

At the start of support across the 6-year reporting period between 2011–12 and 2016–17, 6% of ex-serving ADF SHS clients were enrolled. This proportion was similar at the end of support (7%).

A higher proportion of clients aged 17–24 were enrolled (13% at the start of support, 14% at the end of support) than any other age groups. There were no differences in the proportion of clients enrolled between the start of support and the end of support among any of the age groups.

Labour force status

Across the 6-year reporting period between 2011–12 and 2016–17, the labour force status of ex-serving ADF SHS clients at the start of support was similar to their status at the end of support:

  • Nearly half (45%) of ex-serving ADF SHS clients were unemployed at the start of support, and a similar proportion were unemployed at the end of support (42%).
  • 1 in 4 (26%) ex-serving ADF SHS clients were not in the labour force at the start of support, and this was the same at the end of support (26%).
  • Nearly 1 in 7 (15%) ex-serving ADF SHS clients were employed at the start of support, and a similar proportion (18%) were employed at the end of support.

A higher proportion of female ex-serving ADF SHS clients were employed (either full-time or part-time) at the start and end of support, compared with male ex-serving ADF SHS clients:

  • Of the 266 female ex-serving ADF SHS clients whose employment status was recorded at the start of support, 19% were employed, and of the 269 whose status was recorded at the end of support, 22% were employed.
  • Of the 929 male ex-serving ADF SHS clients whose employment status was recorded at the start of support, 14% were employed at the start of support, and of the 925 whose status was recorded at the end of support, 16% were employed.

Main source of income

At the start of support, clients are asked to indicate their main source of income. It should be noted that as this is a self-report question, the source of income identified as the main source of income may not be the source which provides the client with the most income overall.

‘Other income’ was the main source of income reported by nearly 3 in 4 (71%) ex-serving ADF SHS clients, which includes government payments such as Newstart or the age pension. Further information about this category can be found in Table S8 in the supplementary tables. Employee income was the next most commonly reported main source of income (12%). This pattern was similar for ex-serving ADF SHS clients at the end of support (73% for other income, 15% for employee income).

The proportion of ex-serving ADF SHS clients who reported their main source of income was a DVA payment was 5% at the start of support, and 6% at the end of support. Note, as this is self-reported and only captures the main source of income, this result does not represent all ex-serving ADF SHS clients who are DVA clients and receive a DVA payment. Information about DVA clients can be found in the Client groups of interest section.

References

AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2019. Specialist homelessness services annual report 2017–18. Cat. no. HOU 299. Canberra: AIHW.