People with disability in Australia

Introduction

Safe and secure housing is fundamental to people's health and wellbeing. Access to affordable housing is a key issue for everyone, particularly those on low incomes. A lack of affordable housing puts households at an increased risk of experiencing housing stress and can affect their health, education and employment and place them at risk of homelessness (AIHW 2022).

Anyone can be affected by homelessness; however, some groups, such as people with disability, may face additional risk factors, such as limited engagement with the labour market, discrimination and low income (AIHW 2022). These factors increase their likelihood of experiencing homelessness, or present additional barriers to exiting homelessness (see ‘Employment’, ‘Disability discrimination’ and ‘Income and finance’ for more information on these life areas).

People with disability may also have specific accommodation and support needs beyond those of the general population.

People with disability who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can use specialist homelessness services (SHS). These services are funded by governments to:

• provide accommodation support to people in need
• support at-risk clients to remain housed
• provide services intended to support stable living conditions, such as counselling, employment or financial services.

Demographics

In 2022–23, about 274,000 clients received support from specialist homelessness services. Among SHS clients, 9.5% (or 25,900) have disability and 82% (or 223,400) have no disability. A further 8.9% (or 24,400) of SHS clients have an unknown disability status.

About 3 in 10 (29% or 7,600) clients with disability have severe or profound disability (or 2.8% of all SHS clients) (AIHW 2023).

Sex

There are relatively more males among clients with disability (47% or 12,100) than among clients without disability (40% or 88,400) (Figure HOMELESSNESS.1, AIHW 2023).

Figure HOMELESSNESS.1: Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) clients, by disability status and severity, age group and sex, 2022–23

Notes:

1. Data by age group are for people aged 10 and over.
2. ‘With disability’ refers to clients who have core activity limitation. ‘Without disability’ may include clients who have disability but no core activity limitation.

Source data tables: Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

Disability is less common in female SHS clients than male clients – 8.5% of female SHS clients have disability, compared with 11% of male clients (Table HOMELESSNESS.1).

Note: ‘With disability’ refers to clients who have core activity limitation. ‘Without disability’ may include clients who have disability but no core activity limitation.

Source: AIHW 2023; see also Table SHSC1, Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

Age

Clients with disability are more likely to be older than clients without disability. In 2022–23, among SHS clients aged 10 or over, 13% (or 3,000) of clients with disability were aged 65 or over, compared with 3.4% (or 6,400) of clients without disability (Figure HOMELESSNESS.1).

Disability is more common in older SHS clients:

• 3 in 10 (29% or 3,000) of clients aged 65 and over have disability
• 1 in 10 (9.8% or 19,900) aged 15–64
• 1 in 25 (4.2% or 730) aged 10–14 (Table HOMELESSNESS.2).

Notes:

1. Data are for SHS clients aged 10 and over. While disability status is collected for all ages, data relating to children aged 0–9 should be interpreted with caution.
2. ‘With disability’ refers to SHS clients who have core activity limitation. ‘Without disability’ may include clients who have disability but no core activity limitation.

Source: AIHW 2023; see also Table SHSC3, Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

Indigenous status

About 1 in 4 (24% or 5,900) clients with disability identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people, compared with 30% (or 64,000) of clients without disability (of those with known Indigenous status).

First Nations clients (7.9% or 5,900) are less likely to be identified as having disability than non-Indigenous clients (10% or 19,000). For 7.0% (or 5,200) of First Nations clients and 7.9% (or 14,600) of non-Indigenous clients the disability status was not known.

First Nations clients with disability are about as likely to have severe or profound disability (30% or 1,800) as non-Indigenous clients with disability (29% or 5,500).

Beginning of support

In 2022–23, clients with disability (48% or 11,700) were as likely as those without disability (47% or 97,600, for those with known disability status) to be homeless, rather than at risk of homelessness, when they started receiving support (Figure HOMELESSNESS.2).

Male SHS clients with disability (54% or 6,200) are more likely than female clients (42% or 5,500) to be homeless when they start receiving support (for those with known disability and housing status). A similar pattern is evident in clients without disability (Figure HOMELESSNESS.2).

Figure HOMELESSNESS.2: Proportions of SHS clients homeless at the beginning of support, by disability status and severity, and sex, 2022–23

Note: ‘With disability’ refers to SHS clients who have core activity limitation. ‘Without disability’ may include clients who have disability but no core activity limitation.

Source data tables: Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

Reasons for seeking assistance

The most common main reason SHS clients with disability seek support is due to problems with accommodation (43% or 11,100), followed by interpersonal relationships (20% or 5,300) (Table HOMELESSNESS.3).

Notes:

1. Denominator includes clients whose main reason for seeking support is recorded as ‘not stated’ (0.5% of clients with disability and 0.4% of clients without disability).
2. ‘With disability’ refers to SHS clients who have core activity limitation. ‘Without disability’ may include clients who have disability but no core activity limitation. Excludes clients whose disability status is recorded as missing or unknown.

Source: AIHW 2023; see also Table SHSC5, Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

The main reasons clients seek support vary between those with and without disability (Table HOMELESSNESS.3). Clients with disability are more likely to report housing crisis as a main reason for seeking support and less likely to report domestic or family violence (Table HOMELESSNESS.3).

The main reasons that clients with disability seek support also vary depending on their housing situation at the beginning of support (Table HOMELESSNESS.4). For example:

• More than half (53% or 6,200) of clients with disability who are homeless when they begin support cite accommodation-related reasons as their main reason for seeking support, compared with about one-third (36% or 4,600) of those who begin support at risk of homelessness.
• Interpersonal relationship and financial issues are more commonly identified by clients with disability who begin support at risk of homelessness than those who begin support homeless.

Notes:

1. Denominator includes clients whose main reason for seeking support is recorded as ‘not stated’ (0.5% of clients with disability).
2. ‘With disability’ refers to SHS clients who have core activity limitation.

Source: AIHW 2023; see also Table SHSC6, Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

During support

Clients with disability generally have a higher and more complex need for support than clients without disability. This is reflected in:

• higher average number of support periods received – 2.4 for clients with disability compared with 1.7 for clients without disability
• greater median length of support – 81 days compared with 56
• higher average number of distinct services needed – 12.4 compared with 8.8 (AIHW 2023).

Type of support needed

Accommodation provision is the most needed type of assistance for clients with (68% or 17,500) and without (62% or 138,000) disability (for SHS clients with known disability status). Clients with disability, however, generally have a higher need for all types of accommodation (multiple accommodation needs may be identified):

• 45% (or 11,600) need long-term housing, compared with 42% (or 93,200)
• 38% (or 9,800) need medium-term or transitional housing, compared with 30% (or 67,900)
• 51% (or 13,300) need short-term or emergency accommodation, compared with 40% (or 90,100) (AIHW 2023).

Other common types of assistance needed by SHS clients with known disability status include:

• assistance to sustain housing tenure – 38% (or 9,900) of clients with disability, compared with 31% (or 70,000) of clients without disability
• mental health assistance – 16% (or 4,100), compared with 9.0% (or 20,200)
• legal or financial services – 7.8% (or 2,000), compared with 6.2% (or 13,900)
• family assistance (including child protection, parenting skills, and child specific counselling services) – 7.3% (or 1,900), compared with 8.6% (or 19,300)
• immigration or cultural services assistance – 7.0% (or 1,800), compared with 6.9% (or 15,400)
• disability services – 5.8% (or 1,500), compared with 1.1% (or 2,500) (clients without disability who are identified to need disability services may include people who have disability but no core activity limitation)
• drug and alcohol services – 5.5% (or 1,400), compared with 3.0% (or 6,600) (AIHW 2023).

Almost all SHS clients also need some general assistance, such as advice or information (86% or 22,200 of all SHS clients with disability in 2022–23), advocacy (67% or 17,300), or material aid (43% or 11,200). Clients with disability are generally more likely than those without disability to need most types of assistance, with the exception of assistance for domestic and/or family violence (20% or 5,100 of clients with disability and 26% or 57,800 of clients without disability needed this type of assistance) (AIHW 2023).

Unmet need for support

Not all SHS clients who need support receive it directly from SHS service provider (though they may have a referral arranged). As a result, not all clients have their support needs met.

In 2022–23, of SHS clients with known disability status:

• 34% (or 8,800) of clients with disability had all their support needs met directly, compared with 43% (or 96,700) without disability
• 62% (or 16,200) had some needs met, compared with 52% (or 116,000)
• 3.5% (or 900) had none of their needs met, compared with 4.7% (or 10,500) (AIHW 2023).

Some types of support are more likely to be provided than others. For example, of SHS clients with disability:

• half (50% or 8,700) of those who needed accommodation were provided it directly and a further 18% (or 3,100) were referred elsewhere
• 81% (or 7,900) of those who needed assistance to sustain housing tenure received that assistance directly and a further 3.2% (or 315) were referred
• 4 in 10 (41% or 835) who needed legal or financial services received them directly and a further 28% (or 560) were referred (Figure HOMELESSNESS.3, AIHW 2023).

Clients with disability (50% or 8,700) are slightly less likely than clients without disability (52% or 71,600) to receive the accommodation services they need, and slightly more likely to receive long-term housing (5.9% or 780 compared with 4.0% or 3,600) when they need it.

When they need them, clients with disability are also more likely to receive:

• mental health services – 49% (or 2,000) compared with 47% (or 9,500)
• drug and/or alcohol services – 48% (or 680) compared with 45% (or 3,000) (AIHW 2023).

When they need them, clients with disability are less likely to receive:

• immigration and/or cultural services – 80% (or 1,500) compared with 87% (or 13,400)
• family services – 60% (or 1,100) compared with 64% (or 12,300)
• legal and/or financial – 41% (or 840) compared with 46% (or 6,300)
• other specialist (including health and medical services) – 69% (or 4,600) compared with 71% (or 28,500) (AIHW 2023).

Clients with disability and without disability have similar rates of direct service provision for:

• assistance to sustain housing tenure – 81% (or 7,900) of clients with disability and 81% (or 56,400) of clients without disability
• general services (including employment and training assistance) – 98% (or 24,300) and 98% (or 205,000) (AIHW 2023).

Figure HOMELESSNESS.3: Proportion of SHS clients who received the services they needed, by service category and disability status, 2022–23

Notes:

1. ‘With disability’ refers to SHS clients who have core activity limitation. ‘Without disability’ may include clients who have disability but no core activity limitation. Excludes clients whose disability status is recorded as missing or unknown.
2. All services listed in the chart except ‘General services’ are considered specialist services. ‘Other specialist services’ include health/medical services, specialist counselling services, and other specialised services not included elsewhere.

Source data tables: Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

End of support

Housing outcomes for clients with disability generally improve following support, with fewer being homeless when they leave support.

Four in 10 (42% or 7,200) clients with disability are homeless when they start support, compared with 3 in 10 (31% or 5,390) at the end of support (for SHS clients with closed support period). The pattern is similar for clients with severe or profound disability (40% or 1,975 homeless at the beginning or support and 29% or 1,435 at the end) and clients without disability (41% or 67,000 homeless at the beginning of support and 31% or 50,000 at the end) (Figure HOMELESSNESS.4, AIHW 2023).

Figure HOMELESSNESS.4: Homelessness status at the beginning and end of support for SHS clients with closed support periods, by disability status and severity, 2022–23

Notes:

1. ‘With disability’ refers to SHS clients who have core activity limitation. ‘Without disability’ may include clients who have disability but no core activity limitation. Excludes clients whose disability status is recorded as missing or unknown.
2. SHS clients are assessed as either homeless or at risk of homelessness; clients who do not provide enough information to make this assessment are recorded as ‘Not stated/other’.

Source data tables: Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

Figure HOMELESSNESS.5: Proportion of SHS clients with disability homeless at end of support, by housing situation at the beginning of support, 2013–14 to 2022–23

Notes:

1. ‘With disability’ refers to SHS clients who have core activity limitation.
2. Proportions include only clients with closed support and for whom housing status is known at first report and at end of support.
3. The SHSC classifies clients as ‘homeless’ if they are living with no shelter or an improvised or inadequate dwelling, in short-term temporary accommodation, or in a house, townhouse or flat with relatives (rent free). It classifies clients as ‘at risk of homelessness’ (‘housed’) if they are living in public or community housing (renter or rent free), private or other housing (renter or rent free), or in institutional settings.
4. From 2023, clients with an unknown tenure and an occupancy condition which is ‘Not applicable’, ‘Other’ or ‘Unknown’ are considered as having a status of ‘Not stated‘ rather than ’At risk – Other‘. The historical data in this figure has been back-cast with the change applied. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of ’At risk‘ clients.
5. Data for 2013–14 to 2016–17 have been adjusted for non-response. Due to improvements in the rates of agency participation and SLK validity, data from 2017–18 are not weighted. The removal of weighting does not constitute a break in time series, and weighted data from 2013–14 to 2016–17 are comparable with unweighted data for 2017–18 onwards.

Source data tables: Data tables – Homelessness services. View data tables

The homelessness status at the end of support varies by the housing situation at the start of support. Clients with disability who begin support homeless are more likely to be homeless at the end of support (57% or 4,100) than those who begin support at risk of homelessness (12% or 1,000) (for SHS clients with closed support period) (AIHW 2023). Clients with severe or profound disability who begin support homeless are less likely to remain homeless at the end of support (53% or 1,100) than clients with other disability status (58% or 3,000) or clients without disability (60% or 40,200) (AIHW 2023).Between 2013–14 and 2017–18/2018–19, there have been some improvements in how likely people with disability are to be housed following support, however the improvements did not continue in the more recent years (Figure HOMELESSNESS.5).

Risk factors

Disability is considered one of the risk factors for experiencing homelessness. Clients with disability are also more likely than clients without disability to have one or more other risk factors that increase their likelihood of experiencing homelessness, or that provide additional barriers to exiting homelessness, such as (for SHS clients aged 10 and over with known disability status):

• mental health issues – 60% (or 14,300) compared with 36% (or 68,100)
• drug or alcohol misuse – 17% (or 3,900) compared with 10% (or 18,800) (AIHW 2023).

Clients with disability are less likely than clients without disability to be identified as having experienced domestic and family violence (31% or 8,100 compared with 39% or 86,700) (AIHW 2023).

Clients with disability are more likely to experience repeat homelessness. Among SHS clients with disability who have experienced homelessness sometime during 2022–23, 7.8% (or 1,200) experienced repeat homelessness, compared with 4.7% (or 5,900) clients without disability (AIHW 2023).