Fed: Over 116,000 homeless likely turned away each year: AIHW

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2000
Fed: Over 116,000 homeless likely turned away each year: AIHW

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA, April 5 AAP - More than 116,000 homeless people were likely to be turned
away from crisis shelters each year due to lack of emergency accommodation, according
to new official figures released today.

A study of the $230 million commonwealth-state Supported Accommodation Assistance Program
(SAAP) found almost 4,500 people were refused emergency housing during a typical two-week
period in November 1998.

"If this were replicated throughout the year, an estimated 116,400 unmet requests for
support or supported accommodation would have occurred during 1998-99," the study said.

The SAAP report cited lack of accommodation as the main reason for refusal, while staffing
constraints and lack of rehabilitation services also played a part.

Prepared by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare using the latest available
data, the report said nearly 91,000 people received help in 1998-99.

Over 80 per cent of those were in search of crisis housing, while other people sought
meals, access to laundry or shower facilities, emotional support or transport and recreation
services.

Over half of all clients were women (54 per cent), while around one-third of all SAAP
clients were aged between 15 and 25.

Marital conflict or relationship breakdowns emerged as the scourge of most crisis cases,
being responsible for the homeless state of 50 per cent of people, the AIHW said.

And while the institute said there had been a slight decline in client numbers from
94,000 in 1997-98, it cited a change in statistical reporting which made direct comparisons
difficult.

Last year's AIHW study showed there had been 110,000 homeless clients assisted over
the year, but under the new analysis that figure had been revised downwards to 94,100.

Established in 1985, SAAP incorporates various government programs available to help
the homeless, including women and children escaping domestic violence.

There were almost 1,200 support agencies across Australia during the last report period,
mostly concentrated in New South Wales (32 per cent) and Victoria (27 per cent).

Victoria, however, had the largest total number of SAAP clients with 29,100, followed
by NSW with 27,300.

Queensland had 15,300 homeless requests for help, followed by Western Australia (7,900),
South Australia (7,500), Tasmania (3,500), the Northern Territory (3,300) and the ACT
(2,100).

The AIHW said in addition to regular clients, SAAP agencies also supplied one-off assistance
on over 1.3 million occasions.

AAP rft/ss/bdm/br

KEYWORD: HOMELESS

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