People turned away from 
government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation
2010–11
Appendix

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Suggested citation
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011. People turned away from government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation 2010–11: appendix. Cat. no. HOU 261. Canberra: AIHW.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Board Chair
Dr Andrew Refshauge
Director
David Kalisch
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Contents
Appendix 1	Data tables
Appendix 2	Demand for Accommodation Collection
Appendix 3	Summary diagram
Appendix 4	Counting rules and glossary
Appendix 5	Abbreviations and symbols
Appendix 6	Collection forms
References
List of tables

Appendix 1	Data tables
Table A1: Demand for Accommodation Collection: agency participation rates and records returned, by state and territory for 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 and by reporting period for 2006–07 to 2010–11
	Agencies
(number)	Participation rate
(per cent)	Records returned
(number)	
State/territory		
NSW	364	64.0	3,703	
Vic	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
Qld	227	67.0	2,257	
WA	119	57.1	850	
SA	108	48.1	930	
Tas	33	66.7	488	
ACT	33	42.4	114	
NT	45	46.7	277	
Total(a)	929	60.5	8,619	
Reporting period		
2–8 August 2006 and 16–22 May 2007	1,456	61.4	14,992	
21–27 November 2007 and 14–20 May 2008	1,444	62.6	13,290	
3–9 December 2008 and 6–12 May 2009(a)	945	70.9	11,439	
18–24 November 2009 and 5–11 May 2010(a)	932	65.8	10,149	
17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011(a)	929	60.5	8,619	
(a)	Excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
Notes
1.	Table based on records returned from agencies that should have been participating in the reference period. Not all funded agencies are required to participate in data collection.
2.	In 2008–09, 663 or 70% of the 945 participating agencies returned records for both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection (excludes Victorian data). These agencies returned 10,746 Demand for Accommodation Collection records (excludes Victorian data).
3.	In 2009–10, 604 or 65% of the 932 participating agencies returned records for both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection (excludes Victorian data). These agencies returned 9,324 Demand for Accommodation Collection records (excludes Victorian data).
4.	In 2010–11, 553 or 60% of the 929 participating agencies returned records for both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection (excludes Victorian data). These agencies returned 8,104 Demand for Accommodation Collection records (excludes Victorian data).
5.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Administrative Data Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A2: Client Collection: agency participation rates and records returned for clients, by state and territory for 2010–11 and by reporting period for 2006–07 to 2010–11
	Agencies
(number)	Participation rate
(per cent)	Records returned
(number)	
State/territory		
NSW	364	91.5	62,141	
Vic	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
Qld	227	90.3	33,883	
WA	119	87.4	15,937	
SA	108	88.0	19,039	
Tas	33	93.9	5,639	
ACT	33	84.8	2,557	
NT	45	88.9	4,883	
Total(a)	929	90.0	144,079	
Reporting period		
2006–07	1,456	87.2	192,591	
2007–08	1,444	92.1	202,835	
2008–09(a)	945	94.2	137,022	
2009–10(a)	932	94.0	146,416	
2010–11(a)	929	90.0	144,079	
(a)	Excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
Notes
1.	Table based on records returned from agencies that should have been participating in the reference period. Not all funded agencies are required to participate in data collection.
2.	In 2008–09, 663 or 70% of the 945 participating agencies returned records for both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection (excludes Victorian data). These agencies returned 134,616 Client Collection records (excludes Victorian data).
3.	In 2009–10, 604 or 65% of the 932 participating agencies returned records for both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection (excludes Victorian data). These agencies returned 141,747 Client Collection records (excludes Victorian data).
4.	In 2010–11, 553 or 60% of the 929 participating agencies returned records for both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection (excludes Victorian data). These agencies returned 141,229 Client Collection records (excludes Victorian data).
Sources: Administrative Data Collection; Client Collection.

Table A3: Adults and unaccompanied children turned away, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (daily average)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
	Adults and unaccompanied children requiring new immediate
accommodation (number)	
Not accommodated (turned away) (A)	56.8	n.a.	48.3	16.8	26.6	12.0	2.3	8.3	171.1	
Newly accommodated (B)	57.4	n.a.	30.5	17.8	8.6	6.3	2.4	9.9	132.8	
Successful first request	54.9	n.a.	28.0	16.9	8.1	4.2	2.1	9.1	123.3	
Accommodated in subsequent request(s)	2.5	n.a.	2.5	0.9	0.5	2.1	0.3	0.8	9.5	
Total requiring new immediate accommodation (C)
(A + B)	114.1	n.a.	78.8	34.6	35.3	18.3	4.6	18.1	303.9	
	Clients already accommodated (number)	
Accommodation ending	54.4	n.a.	32.3	16.4	9.4	5.6	2.4	10.1	130.6	
Continuing accommodation (D)	3,084.8	n.a.	1,509.9	645.2	768.9	227.9	284.2	216.4	6,737.3	
Total accommodated (B + D)	3,142.1	n.a.	1,540.4	663.0	777.6	234.2	286.6	226.2	6,870.1	
	Total demand for immediate accommodation (number)	
Total demand for immediate accommodation (E)
(C + D)	3,198.9	n.a.	1,588.6	679.8	804.2	246.2	288.9	234.5	7,041.1	
	Per cent turned away	
Turn-away (A ÷ C × 100)
(per cent requiring new immediate accommodation)	49.7	n.a.	61.3	48.6	75.5	65.6	49.2	45.7	56.3	
Turn-away (A ÷ E × 100)
(per cent total demand for immediate accommodation)	1.8	n.a.	3.0	2.5	3.3	4.9	0.8	3.5	2.4	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0 Demand for Accommodation Collection; 39.8 Client Collection.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data.
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	The accommodation status of a client or accompanying child on a particular day is based on the reported periods of accommodation within a support period. A client can end one period of accommodation and start another on the same day at the same agency—these are considered to be a single period. It can be reasonably assumed that a client will not have more than one period of accommodation at different agencies on the same day. Note that dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children; however, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child is accommodated when their parent or guardian has been accommodated.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Client Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A4: Accompanying children turned away, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 
4–10 May 2011 (daily average)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
	Accompanying children requiring new immediate accommodation
(number)	
Not accommodated (turned away) (A)	30.4	n.a.	42.7	13.2	11.8	12.9	1.0	2.6	114.7	
Newly accommodated (B)	16.4	n.a.	19.9	12.8	4.2	4.1	0.7	4.6	62.8	
Successful first request	15.4	n.a.	18.1	12.6	3.7	3.6	0.6	3.6	57.6	
Accommodated in subsequent request(s)	1.0	n.a.	1.9	0.1	0.5	0.6	0.1	0.9	5.1	
Total requiring new immediate accommodation (C)
(A + B)	46.9	n.a.	62.6	26.0	16.0	17.1	1.7	7.2	177.5	
	Accompanying children already accommodated (number)	
Accommodation ending	13.1	n.a.	18.3	10.9	5.2	3.2	1.1	3.6	55.5	
Continuing accommodation (D)	1,961.9	n.a.	1,382.5	526.2	685.2	204.4	195.2	176.1	5,131.5	
Total accommodated (B + D)	1,978.4	n.a.	1,402.4	539.0	689.4	208.5	195.9	180.6	5,194.3	
										
	Total demand for immediate accommodation (number)	
Total demand for immediate accommodation (E)
(C + D)	2,008.8	n.a.	1,445.1	552.2	701.2	221.4	196.9	183.3	5,309.0	
	Per cent turned away	
Turn-away (A ÷ C × 100)
(per cent requiring new immediate accommodation)	64.9	n.a.	68.2	50.8	73.7	75.7	58.3	36.6	64.6	
Turn-away (A ÷ E × 100)
(per cent total demand for immediate accommodation)	1.5	n.a.	3.0	2.4	1.7	5.8	0.5	1.4	2.2	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0 Demand for Accommodation Collection; 31.3 Client Collection.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	The accommodation status of a client or accompanying child on a particular day is based on the reported periods of accommodation within a support period. A client can end one period of accommodation and start another on the same day at the same agency—these are considered to be a single period. It can be reasonably assumed that a client will not have more than one period of accommodation at different agencies on the same day. Note that dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children; however, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child is accommodated when their parent or guardian has been accommodated.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Client Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A5: Total people turned away, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (daily average)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
	Total people requiring new immediate accommodation (number)	
Not accommodated (turned away) (A)	87.2	n.a.	91.0	30.0	38.4	24.9	3.3	10.9	285.8	
Newly accommodated (B)	73.8	n.a.	50.4	30.6	12.9	10.4	3.1	14.4	195.6	
Successful first request	70.3	n.a.	46.1	29.6	11.9	7.8	2.6	12.7	180.9	
Accommodated in subsequent request(s)	3.5	n.a.	4.4	1.0	1.0	2.6	0.4	1.7	14.6	
Total requiring new immediate accommodation (C)
(A + B)	161.0	n.a.	141.4	60.6	51.3	35.4	6.4	25.4	481.4	
	Clients and accompanying children already accommodated
(number)	
Accommodation ending	67.6	n.a.	50.6	27.2	14.6	8.9	3.5	13.7	186.1	
Continuing accommodation (D)	5,046.7	n.a.	2,892.4	1,171.4	1,454.1	432.3	479.4	392.4	11,868.8	
Total accommodated (B + D)	5,120.5	n.a.	2,942.8	1,202.0	1,467.0	442.7	482.5	406.9	12,064.4	
										
	Total demand for immediate accommodation (number)	
Total demand for immediate accommodation (E)
(C + D)	5,207.7	n.a.	3,033.8	1,232.0	1,505.4	467.6	485.8	417.8	12,350.1	
	Per cent turned away	
Turn-away (A ÷ C × 100)
(per cent requiring new immediate accommodation)	54.2	n.a.	64.3	49.5	74.9	70.5	51.7	43.1	59.4	
Turn-away (A ÷ E × 100)
(per cent total demand for immediate accommodation)	1.7	n.a.	3.0	2.4	2.6	5.3	0.7	2.6	2.3	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0 Demand for Accommodation Collection; 71.1 Client Collection.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	The accommodation status of a client or accompanying child on a particular day is based on the reported periods of accommodation within a support period. A client can end one period of accommodation and start another on the same day at the same agency—these are considered to be a single period. It can be reasonably assumed that a client will not have more than one period of accommodation at different agencies on the same day. Note that dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children; however, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child is accommodated when their parent or guardian has been accommodated.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Client Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A6: Total people turned away, by requesting group, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
(daily average)
	Individual(s)
no
children	Individual(s)
with
children	Couple
no
children	Couple
with
children	Total	
	Total people requiring new immediate accommodation
(number)	
Not accommodated (turned away) (A)	103.8	153.5	4.5	24.0	285.8	
Newly accommodated (B)	98.8	85.3	2.9	8.6	195.6	
Successful first request	91.4	78.4	2.9	8.3	180.9	
Accommodated in subsequent request(s)	7.4	6.9	—	0.4	14.6	
Total requiring new immediate accommodation (C)
(A + B)	202.6	238.8	7.4	32.6	481.4	
	Clients and accompanying children already accommodated
(number)	
Accommodation ending	99.1	76.3	2.5	8.2	186.1	
Continuing accommodation (D)	3,943.7	6,511.6	148.0	1,265.5	11,868.8	
Total accommodated (B + D)	4,042.5	6,596.9	150.9	1,274.1	12,064.4	
	Total demand for immediate accommodation (number)	
Total demand for immediate accommodation (E)
(C + D)	4,146.3	6,750.4	155.4	1,298.1	12,350.1	
	Per cent turned away	
Turn-away (A ÷ C × 100)
(per cent requiring new immediate accommodation)	51.2	64.3	61.2	73.5	59.4	
Turn-away (A ÷ E × 100)
(per cent total demand for immediate accommodation)	2.5	2.3	2.9	1.8	2.3	
(a)	2.45%.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0 Demand for Accommodation Collection; 71.1 Client Collection.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	The accommodation status of a client or accompanying child on a particular day is based on the reported periods of accommodation within a support period. A client can end one period of accommodation and start another on the same day at the same agency—these are considered to be a single period. It can be reasonably assumed that a client will not have more than one period of accommodation at different agencies on the same day. Note that dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children; however, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child is accommodated when their parent or guardian has been accommodated.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Client Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A7: Total people turned away each day, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
	Wed
17
Nov	Thu
189
Nov	Fri
19
Nov	Sat
20
Nov	Sun
21
Nov	Mon
22
Nov	Tue
23
Nov	Wed
4
May	Thu
5
May	Fri
6
May	Sat
7
May	Sun
8
May	Mon
9
May	Tue
10
May	Daily average	
Total people requiring new immediate accommodation (number)	
Not accommodated (turned away) (A)	364	308	252	57	53	433	309	422	374	443	88	49	438	411	285.8	
Newly accommodated (B)	253	239	263	106	101	290	254	175	213	228	106	84	224	202	195.6	
Successful first request	233	224	236	98	93	276	228	166	187	220	103	74	208	187	180.9	
Accommodated in subsequent request(s)	20	15	27	8	8	14	26	9	26	8	3	10	16	15	14.6	
Total requiring new immediate accommodation (C)
(A + B)	617	547	515	163	154	723	563	597	587	671	194	133	662	613	481.4	
Clients and accompanying children already accommodated (number)	
Accommodation ending	215	232	235	98	129	260	236	179	184	159	93	120	256	209	186.1	
Continuing accommodation (D)	11,955	11,968	11,973	12,127	12,110	11,974	12,019	11,662	11,651	11,710	11,845	11,824	11,670	11,675	11,868.8	
Total accommodated (B + D)	12,208	12,207	12,236	12,233	12,211	12,264	12,273	11,837	11,864	11,938	11,951	11,908	11,894	11,877	12,064.4	
Total demand for immediate accommodation	
Total demand for immediate accommodation (E)
(C + D)	12,572	12,515	12,488	12,290	12,264	12,697	12,582	12,259	12,238	12,381	12,039	11,957	12,332	12,288	12,350.1	
Per cent turned away	
Turn-away (A ÷ C × 100)
(per cent requiring new immediate accommodation)	59.0	56.3	48.9	35.0	34.4	59.9	54.9	70.7	63.7	66.0	45.4	36.8	66.2	67.0	59.4	
Turn-away (A ÷ E × 100)
(per cent total demand for immediate accommodation)	2.9	2.5	2.0	0.5	0.4	3.4	2.5	3.4	3.1	3.6	0.7	0.4	3.6	3.3	2.3	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0 Demand for Accommodation Collection; 71.1 Client Collection.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2). 
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	The accommodation status of a client or accompanying child on a particular day is based on the reported periods of accommodation within a support period. A client can end one period of accommodation and start another on the same day at the same agency—these are considered to be a single period. It can be reasonably assumed that a client will not have more than one period of accommodation at different agencies on the same day. Note that dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children; however, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child is accommodated when their parent or guardian has been accommodated.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Client Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A8: Total people turned away, state and territory by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2010–11 (daily average)
	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09(a)	2009–10(a)	2010–11(a)	
	Turn-away (per cent requiring new and immediate accommodation)	
NSW	49.5	48.6	54.4	50.6	54.2	
Vic	53.9	40.3	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
Qld	60.1	68.7	64.2	60.4	64.3	
WA	62.4	64.7	66.5	58.8	49.5	
SA	66.6	69.6	68.6	70.6	74.9	
Tas	65.3	72.7	70.3	75.4	70.5	
ACT	69.9	76.5	75.3	70.1	51.7	
NT	38.4	44.8	54.7	45.2	43.1	
Australia	57.1	58.9	61.5	58.3	59.4	
	Turn-away (per cent total demand for immediate accommodation)	
NSW	2.1	1.9	2.0	1.8	1.7	
Vic	1.6	1.0	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
Qld	3.2	4.3	3.2	3.1	3.0	
WA	5.9	4.8	4.1	2.9	2.4	
SA	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.0	2.6	
Tas	4.7	5.5	4.1	5.6	5.3	
ACT	2.6	2.4	1.7	1.7	0.7	
NT	2.2	2.9	5.3	3.1	2.6	
Australia	2.6	2.6	2.7	2.4	2.3	
(a)	Excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0 Demand for Accommodation Collection; 47.3 Client Collection in 2006–07, 46.3 in 2007–08, 39.0 in 2008–09, 52.6 in 2009–10; 71.1 in 2010–11.
2.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
3.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
4.	The accommodation status of a client or accompanying child on a particular day is based on the reported periods of accommodation within a support period. A client can end one period of accommodation and start another on the same day at the same agency—these are considered to be a single period. It can be reasonably assumed that a client will not have more than one period of accommodation at different agencies on the same day. Note that dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children; however, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child is accommodated when their parent or guardian has been accommodated.
5.	Caution should be exercised when comparing data across years. See Appendix 2 and Chapter 2 in the main report.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Client Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A9: Total people turned away, requesting group by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2010–11 (daily average)
	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09(a)	2009–10(a)	2010–11(a)	
Turn-away (per cent requiring new and immediate accommodation)	
Individual(s) no children	48.7	48.5	50.4	45.0	51.2	
Individual(s) with children	63.5	66.0	69.3	67.0	64.3	
Couple no children	72.2	77.7	75.4	69.2	61.2	
Couple with children	68.8	77.0	80.2	81.7	73.5	
Total	57.1	58.9	61.5	58.3	59.4	
Turn-away (per cent total demand for immediate accommodation)	
Individual(s) no children	2.9	2.8	2.8	2.4	2.5	
Individual(s) with children	2.5	2.6	2.6	2.5	2.3	
Couple no children	4.4	4.0	4.6	4.1	2.9	
Couple with children	1.8	2.2	2.3	2.2	1.8	
Total	2.6	2.6	2.7	2.4	2.3	
(a)	Excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0 Demand for Accommodation Collection; 47.3 Client Collection in 2006–07, 46.3 in 2007–08, 39.0 in 2008–09, 52.6 in 2009–10; 71.1 in 2010–11.
2.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
3.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
4.	The accommodation status of a client or accompanying child on a particular day is based on the reported periods of accommodation within a support period. A client can end one period of accommodation and start another on the same day at the same agency—these are considered to be a single period. It can be reasonably assumed that a client will not have more than one period of accommodation at different agencies on the same day. Note that dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children; however, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child is accommodated when their parent or guardian has been accommodated.
5.	Caution should be exercised when comparing data across years. See Appendix 2 and Chapter 2 in the main report.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Sources: Client Collection; Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A10: People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by sex, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT		Total	
									Per cent	Number	
Adults and unaccompanied children	
Male	39.9	n.a.	44.7	36.0	15.0	25.9	38.9	31.5	35.6	64.3	
Female	60.1	n.a.	55.3	64.0	85.0	74.1	61.1	68.5	64.4	116.3	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	59.3	n.a.	50.8	17.6	27.1	14.1	2.6	9.1	. .	180.6	
Accompanying children	
Male	43.9	n.a.	48.7	51.3	53.5	42.9	50.0	36.0	47.2	56.6	
Female	56.1	n.a.	51.3	48.7	46.5	57.1	50.0	64.0	52.8	63.3	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	31.4	n.a.	44.6	13.4	12.3	13.5	1.1	3.6	. .	119.9	
Total people	
Male	41.3	n.a.	46.6	42.6	27.0	34.2	42.3	32.8	40.2	120.9	
Female	58.7	n.a.	53.4	57.4	73.0	65.8	57.7	67.2	59.8	179.6	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	90.7	n.a.	95.4	31.0	39.4	27.6	3.7	12.6	. .	300.4	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	Table includes people who were accommodated later that same day. For this reason the count of people with a valid unmet request is higher than the count of people turned away.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Source: Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A11: People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by age,
17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT		Total	
									Per cent	Number	
Adults and unaccompanied children	
Under 20 years	33.7	n.a.	23.1	34.8	15.2	8.8	35.5	24.7	25.5	41.1	
20–44 years	56.4	n.a.	65.2	57.0	67.0	77.2	61.3	63.6	62.7	101.0	
45–64 years	9.1	n.a.	11.3	7.7	17.3	13.5	3.2	7.8	11.2	18.0	
65 years and over	0.8	n.a.	0.3	0.5	0.5	0.6	—	3.9	0.7	1.1	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	51.9	n.a.	46.6	15.8	26.9	12.2	2.2	5.5	. .	161.1	
Accompanying children(a)	
Under 12 years	70.9	n.a.	74.4	73.8	83.7	70.4	81.3	66.0	73.7	88.4	
12–14 years	14.5	n.a.	12.0	14.4	11.6	18.5	6.3	8.0	13.5	16.1	
15–17 years	4.3	n.a.	3.8	5.3	2.3	4.8	—	2.0	4.0	4.8	
Unknown age	10.2	n.a.	9.8	6.4	2.3	6.3	12.5	24.0	8.8	10.6	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	31.4	n.a.	44.6	13.4	12.3	13.5	1.1	3.6	. .	119.9	
Total people	
Under 20 years(a)	58.7	n.a.	60.7	64.7	41.8	56.7	57.4	54.3	57.3	160.9	
20–44 years	35.1	n.a.	33.4	30.9	46.0	36.7	40.4	38.6	35.9	101.0	
45–64 years	5.7	n.a.	5.8	4.2	11.9	6.4	2.1	4.7	6.4	18.0	
65 years and over	0.5	n.a.	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.0	2.4	0.4	1.1	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	83.4	n.a.	91.2	29.1	39.1	25.7	3.4	9.1	. .	281.0	
(a)	Includes all accompanying children. Accompanying children are by definition aged 17 years and under.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 19.4 adults of unknown age.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	Table includes people who were accommodated later that same day. For this reason the count of people with a valid unmet request is higher than the count of people turned away.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Source: Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A12: People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by country of birth, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT		Total	
									Per cent	Number	
Australia	88.3	n.a.	90.6	78.4	84.8	92.4	77.8	98.5	88.2	208.7	
Other-English speaking countries	3.8	n.a.	6.5	7.9	5.2	1.0	11.1	0.8	5.0	11.8	
Non-English speaking countries	7.9	n.a.	2.9	13.7	10.0	6.5	11.1	0.8	6.8	16.1	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	72.6	n.a.	74.3	23.4	34.2	20.8	1.9	9.4	. .	236.6	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 63.8 adults and unaccompanied children of unknown country of birth.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	Table includes people who were accommodated later that same day. For this reason the count of people with a valid unmet request is higher than the count of people turned away.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Source: Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A13: People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT		Total	
									Per cent	Number	
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	22.3	n.a.	32.4	53.0	23.2	6.0	20.8	77.2	29.4	67.2	
Non-Indigenous	77.7	n.a.	67.6	47.0	76.8	94.0	79.2	22.8	70.6	161.8	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	71.0	n.a.	72.6	21.6	35.4	17.9	1.7	8.8	. .	229.0	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 71.4 adults and unaccompanied children of unknown Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	Table includes people who were accommodated later that same day. For this reason the count of people with a valid unmet request is higher than the count of people turned away.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Source: Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A14: Valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation: main reason why request was not met, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (daily average per cent)
Main reason	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT		Total	
										%	Number	
Insufficient 
accommodation available	52.5	n.a.	63.6	70.7	32.1	71.6	61.4	74.6	57.4	121.1	
Referral agency with no vacancies on books	32.8	n.a.	21.9	10.2	52.4	6.3	31.8	13.8	27.3	57.6	
Type of accommodation requested is not provided	5.8	n.a.	5.9	9.5	4.4	7.7	2.3	2.3	5.9	12.5	
Insufficient staff 
to provide support	1.3	n.a.	0.5	1.4	—	—	—	1.5	0.8	1.6	
Facilities for special needs not available	0.8	n.a.	0.7	0.4	2.3	1.4	2.3	1.5	1.0	2.1	
Other(a)	6.8	n.a.	7.5	7.8	8.7	13.0	2.3	6.2	7.7	16.2	
Total	100.0	n.a.	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	72.9	n.a.	63.1	20.2	27.8	14.9	3.1	9.3	. .	211.2	
(a)	In a small number of cases, requests for accommodation were unmet because of the age of a male child (applicable to domestic violence agencies only). To ensure confidentiality, these cases are not presented separately but are included in the ‘other’ valid request category.
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	A person or group may make more than one request for accommodation in a day. Further, a request can be made by an individual or on behalf of a group of people. Therefore, the counts of requests are not the same as the actual number of people making those requests.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Source: Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A15: Valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation: main reason why request was not met, by requesting group, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (daily average per cent requests)
Main reason	Individual(s)
no children	Individual(s)
with children	Couple no
children	Couple with
children		Total	
						%	Number	
Insufficient 
accommodation available	54.2	62.9	62.0	63.0	57.4	121.1	
Referral agency with no vacancies on books	27.5	27.9	12.0	24.0	27.3	57.6	
Type of accommodation requested is not provided	6.8	4.3	10.0	3.0	5.9	12.5	
Insufficient staff to provide support	1.0	0.5	—	—	0.8	1.6	
Facilities for special needs not available	1.4	0.2	—	1.0	1.0	2.1	
Other(a)	9.1	4.3	16.0	9.0	7.7	16.2	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	. .	
Total (number)	133.4	67.1	3.6	7.1	. .	211.2	
Notes
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (daily average): 0.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	A person or group may make more than one request for accommodation in a day. Further, a request can be made by an individual or on behalf of a group of people. Therefore, counts of requests are not the same as the actual number of people making those requests.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Source: Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A16: Referrals for accommodation made in valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (daily average per cent requests)
State/territory	Per cent referrals	
NSW	59.9	
Vic	n.a.	
Qld	60.9	
WA	52.7	
SA	47.3	
Tas	53.8	
ACT	70.5	
NT	33.8	
Total	56.4	
Notes for tables A16 and A17
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions: 0.
2.	Table excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
4.	Demand for Accommodation data exclude people who requested accommodation for periods after 24 hours.
5.	A person or group may make more than one request for accommodation in a day. Further, a request can be made by an individual or on behalf of a group of people. Therefore, counts of requests are not the same as the actual number of people making those requests.
6.	Figures are unweighted.
Source: Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Table A17: Referrals for accommodation made in valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation, by requesting group, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (daily average per cent requests)
Requesting group	Per cent referrals	
Individual(s) no children	55.5	
Individual(s) with children	57.2	
Couple no children	72.0	
Couple with children	58.0	
Total	56.4	

Table A18: Closed support periods in which clients were accommodated: mean and median length of accommodation, by state and territory, 2010–11 (number of days)
State and territory	Mean	Median	
NSW	83	21	
Vic	n.a.	n.a.	
Qld	54	18	
WA	38	7	
SA	60	12	
Tas	45	10	
ACT	112	27	
NT	26	5	
Total	61	14	
Notes for tables A18 and A19
1.	Number excluded due to errors and omissions (weighted): 1,300.
2.	Excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
3.	In South Australia, a large number of agencies do not provide accommodation, they provide support services only.
4.	Excludes accommodation that started and ended on the same day.
5.	Figures have been weighted to adjust for agency non-participation.
Source: Client Collection.
Table A19: Closed support periods with accommodation: mean and median length of accommodation, by client group, 2010–11 (number of days)
Client group	Mean	Median	
Individual(s) no children	50	12	
Individual(s) with children	82	22	
Couple no children	66	18	
Couple with children	167	96	
Total	61	14	

Appendix 2	Demand for Accommodation Collection
The Demand for Accommodation Collection is one of the components that form the SAAP National Data Collection (SAAP NDC). Box A2.1 outlines the components of the SAAP NDC.
The Demand for Accommodation Collection is primarily used to calculate the percentage of people turned away from government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation and to provide an indication of the overall ability of agencies to meet the demand for such accommodation. 
Box A2.1: The SAAP National Data Collection
The SAAP National Data Collection (NDC) consists of distinct components, each of which can be thought of as a separate collection. In 2010–11, three collections were run:
•	The Demand for Accommodation Collection—measures the level of turn-away from specialist homelessness accommodation by collecting information about the number of met and unmet requests for accommodation. It is conducted annually over 2 separate weeks. 
In 2010–11 the collection was held on 17–23 November 2010 and on 4–10 May 2011. 
All participating agencies that provide support or accommodation were asked to record each unsuccessful and successful request for accommodation made during the collection period. Data are recorded in terms of requests. A request may include more than one person and a person may make more than one request in a day.
See also Appendix 4.
•	The Client Collection—collects information about clients and their accompanying children. Data are recorded by service providers (agencies) during, or immediately following, contact with clients and are then returned after support has ended or, for ongoing clients, at the end of the reporting period (30 June). Data collected include information on: demographics, such as age, sex and country of birth for clients and accompanying children; the types of support required by, and provided to, each client and accompanying child; and the client’s situation before and after receiving support. Some data items require consent from the client to collect (see Appendix 4).
Data are collected in relation to support periods. A support period is a discrete period of time over which a person receives ongoing support from a government-funded specialist homelessness agency. A person may have one or more periods of support within a year. To calculate the number of people associated with these periods of support, a statistical linkage key (SLK) is created for each person receiving support where consent was provided to record this information. 
The Client Collection is described in more detail in the appendixes to Government-funded specialist homelessness services: SAAP NDC annual report 2010–11 (AIHW 2011b).
•	The Administrative Data Collection—consists of general information about the agencies providing accommodation and support to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Details about these agencies are submitted by the departments that administer the government response to homelessness in each state and territory. The information provided includes the client target group of each agency, whether the agency is required to participate in data collection and details of funding.

The 60% of agencies that participated in the two collections used to calculate the turn-away measures in this report—the Client and Demand for Accommodation collections—are used for analysis throughout this report (tables A1 and A2; excludes Victorian data). These agencies accounted for 94% (8,104) of the total 8,619 Demand for Accommodation Collection records and 98% (141,229) of the total 144,079 Client Collection records. Consequently, it is possible that findings may understate the true extent of unmet demand.
Readers should note that several factors need to be taken into account when comparing estimates across years, such as agency participation in each year and any changes in the collection or estimation methodology. For example, the SAAP V Agreement was replaced by the NAHA midway through 2008–09 resulting in potential changes to the agencies participating in the collection; and in 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11 Victorian data was excluded from analysis.
Estimation methods
People may be turned away from an agency for a variety of reasons, not all of which indicate that accommodation was unavailable. This includes requests for accommodation at agencies where the person did not fall within the agency’s target group, where the person or group was inappropriate for the agency or where there was no fee-free accommodation available. It also includes those people who refused an agency’s offer of accommodation. Consequently, the number of valid unmet requests is a more useful measure of unmet demand than all unmet requests (see Appendix 4).
The number of valid unmet requests does not represent the actual number of people, since a person can make requests on more than one occasion and at more than one agency. Thus, there are two types of estimates of primary interest for unmet demand: the number of valid unmet requests and the number of people who made a valid unmet request. However, an unmet request for accommodation may be followed by a successful request at another agency, especially if a referral has been arranged. That is, a proportion of people who make an unsuccessful request for accommodation might subsequently receive accommodation from another agency later on the same day. For this reason, when estimating how many people were turned away it is essential to distinguish between people who made a valid unmet request for accommodation but could not be accommodated at all and those who eventually found accommodation by the end of each day.
Several difficulties are associated with estimating the number of valid unmet requests and the number of people who make those requests. First, a proportion of people who make an unsuccessful request for accommodation may subsequently receive accommodation from another agency, quite possibly soon after the initial request. A statistical linkage key is not collected in the Demand for Accommodation Collection, so it is difficult to identify when this situation occurs. Second, people may have their needs met by other means and no longer require assistance. Third, a person may make several requests for accommodation—again, without a linkage key, related requests cannot be identified with certainty. Finally, data required to identify valid unmet requests may be missing. These possibilities pose four main problems:
•	estimates of the number of unmet requests obtained from the collection may overstate the actual level of unmet demand
•	estimates of the number of valid unmet requests may be too low as a result of missing data
•	the number of people making valid unmet requests cannot be obtained directly from the collection
•	an accurate final turn-away for those seeking accommodation cannot be calculated.
Although it is not currently possible to resolve the first of these problems, a method has been developed for deriving estimates of the number of valid unmet requests, the number of individuals whose valid requests were not met, and the number of people turned away each day of the collection period. The method used to derive these estimates is outlined in the following section. It should be noted, however, that the resulting estimates would overstate the number of people involved if people make requests for accommodation on different approaches to agencies within the collection period. Additionally, because people might make several approaches on the same day to agencies throughout the year, the daily figure cannot be pro-rated up to give an estimate of the number of people turned away from agencies annually.
Deriving key estimates
There are several key estimates required for estimating both unmet and met demand. These are:
•	the number of valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation
•	the number of people with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation
•	the number of people with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation with a subsequent met request for accommodation.
These estimates are crucial because they show the volume of requests for immediate accommodation, indicate the number of people with unmet requests within the collection period and how much of that demand is later met, and are used in conjunction with data from other collections to examine total demand. Missing data in items used to derive these estimates will therefore affect the estimates’ utility because they lead to estimates being too low.
In this report, imputed and edited data are included in all tables that use information from the Demand for Accommodation Collection.
Unmet demand
The information used to derive the unmet demand estimates is elicited through seven questions on the Demand for Accommodation Collection form (see Appendix 6):
•	Question 2, asking the number of adults or unaccompanied children seeking accommodation
•	Question 3, asking the number of accompanying children requiring accommodation with their parent(s) or guardian(s)
•	Question 4, asking about the immediacy of the need for accommodation
•	Question 5a and Question 5b, asking whether or not the same request for accommodation had been made and turned away earlier that day and the reason for that turn-away, if applicable
•	Question 6, asking whether an offer of accommodation was made by the agency
•	Question 7a and Question 7b, asking if the person refused an offer of accommodation and, if so, why
•	Question 9, asking if the person made a valid request—that is, sought support from an appropriate agency.
Missing information for any of these questions affects estimates of valid unmet requests and/or estimates of people making those requests. To maximise the utility of estimates from the Demand for Accommodation Collection, an answer was imputed where information was missing for questions 4, 5a, 5b, 6, 7a, 7b and 9. The imputation itself was done at the form level by randomly assigning an answer for the missing question using the distribution of answers for that question. To improve accuracy, this imputation also used information from related questions. 
Some editing on questions 2 and 3 was undertaken to help minimise the effects of erroneous or missing responses to these questions. For example, editing was carried out based on the presenting unit and where accompanying children were erroneously recorded in both questions 2 and 3.
An estimate of the total number of valid unmet requests can then be derived by identifying records that correspond to valid unmet requests. This is done using both the original and the imputed answers: initially, valid requests are identified using questions 7 and 9, and any requests in which an offer of assistance was refused or where the reason for the agency refusing indicates that it was an invalid request are excluded. Question 4 can then be used to divide these valid unmet requests into requests for immediate accommodation and other requests.
The number of people associated with valid unmet requests for accommodation is identified by finding those valid unmet requests that correspond to first valid unmet requests. This can partly be done by excluding repeat requests at agencies (identified through Question 5) from identified valid unmet requests (estimated as described). However, in addition to this, to estimate the number of people with a valid unmet request for accommodation one further piece of information is needed—whether a first (invalid) request at an inappropriate agency later becomes an unmet (valid) request at an appropriate agency. The number of first invalid unmet requests that later became valid unmet requests is estimated using information gathered questions 5a and 5b on the form.
Met demand
Met requests for accommodation are used to estimate the number of people who successfully gained accommodation after making an earlier unmet request. This information is elicited through questions 5a, 5b, 6, 7a and 8 on the 2008–09 Demand for Accommodation Collection form (see Appendix 6), which determine if the request is met, ask how many people were accommodated, whether the person or group had made a request for accommodation earlier that day and, if they were unsuccessful, the reason why. The turn-away measures in this report relate only to those who required immediate accommodation. This information is elicited through Question 4 on the form.
The imputation for questions 4, 5a, 5b, 6 and 7a was done at the form level by randomly assigning an answer for the missing question using the distribution of answers for that question. To improve accuracy, this imputation also used information from related questions (see also previous section on unmet demand). Some editing was carried out on Question 8 based on the presenting unit.
For the purposes of this report, only people with a met request who had a valid unmet request earlier in the day are considered as people who were accommodated in subsequent requests. Whether the previous request was valid is determined on the basis of the response recorded against Question 5b on the form. Invalid requests include those made for accommodation where the person did not fall within the agency’s target group, where the person or group was inappropriate for the agency and where the person or group refused the offer of accommodation due to not wanting to split, because the agency was in the wrong area or where they refused accommodation for other reasons. The number of people who were accommodated in subsequent requests is subtracted from the number of people who had a first valid unmet request for accommodation to estimate the number of people who were not accommodated daily.
Data issues around estimating the number of people turned away
It must be noted that there are some data issues that should be considered when analysing the estimated turn-away measures presented in this report:
•	it is possible to estimate the number of people turned away only for those who required immediate accommodation, that is, accommodation required within 24 hours. This means that the measures might underestimate the turn-away for groups who are more likely to request accommodation after 24 hours
•	dates of support and accommodation are not collected for accompanying children in the Client Collection. For the purposes of calculating the turn-away measures, accompanying children are assumed to have the same periods of accommodation as the parent or guardian. Note that accompanying children are recorded on only one parent’s or guardian’s record when clients present as a couple.
This report present the measures of turn-away by requesting group or by jurisdiction, but do not present turn-away by age, sex, country of birth or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status. This is because:
•	on occasion, only part of a group requesting accommodation was able to be accommodated. While the Demand for Accommodation Collection collects demographic information—such as age, sex, country of birth and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status—on the group making the request for accommodation, it does not break down by demographics the number of people who were accommodated out of that group. Only the total number accommodated is collected. For example, if a group of male and female friends make a request but only some of that group are able to be accommodated, the collection cannot distinguish how many of the males or how many of the females in the group were accommodated. Analysis suggests that the accommodation of a partial group is not common. However, the issue is significant enough to prevent calculation of valid estimates of turn-away by demographics
•	age, country of birth and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status are collected only for clients who provided informed consent in the Client Collection but are collected for all people who request accommodation in the Demand for Accommodation Collection.

Matching requesting groups
The Demand for Accommodation Collection form collected information on the requesting group in a different format from that used in the Client Collection (see Appendix 6). The following table outlines the combinations used in this report.

Name of requesting group	Client Collection requesting groups	Demand for Accommodation Collection requesting groups	
Individual(s) no children	Person alone or with unrelated person	Person without child(ren)	
	Other, with no record of accompanying children in Part B of the form (see Appendix 6)	Persons without child(ren)	
	Requesting group missing, with no record of accompanying children in Part B of the form (see Appendix 6)	Requesting group missing, with no record of accompanying children in Question 3 or Question 8 of the form 
(see Appendix 6)	
			
Individual(s) with children	Person with child(ren)	Person with child(ren)	
	Other, with record of accompanying children in Part B of the form (see Appendix 6)	Persons with child(ren)	
	Requesting group missing, with record of accompanying children in Part B of the form (see Appendix 6)	Requesting group missing, with record of accompanying children in Question 3 or Question 8 of the form (see Appendix 6)	
			
Couple no children	Couple without child(ren)	Couple without child(ren)	
			
Couple with children	Couple with child(ren)	Couple with child(ren)	

Appendix 3	Summary diagram
Figure A3.1 on the following page provides a summary of the 2010–11 data. It outlines how requests for accommodation made during the Demand for Accommodation Collection were used in conjunction with data collected in the Client Collection to determine how many people were turned away on an average day.
Figure A3.1: Estimates of turn-away summary diagram, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 (daily average)
Diagram showing data from the Demand for Accommodation Collection, the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation and Client.
Notes
1.	Excludes Victorian data (see AIHW 2011a:Box 1.2).
2.	Only data from agencies that participated in both the Client Collection and the Demand for Accommodation Collection are included. Consequently, the figures understate the level of activity in government-funded specialist homelessness agencies.
3.	Figures may not add because of rounding.

Appendix 4	Counting rules and glossary
Accurate interpretation of the analyses presented in this report requires an understanding of the concepts and terms used in the SAAP NDC.
In this report, the following rules and definitions have been used. For detailed descriptions of categories and other terms used in this report, please refer to the collectors manual (AIHW 2005.
Accommodated client	A client is considered to be accommodated during a support period if the support type of ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ (specialist homelessness accommodation) was provided and/or a date of accommodation was provided.	
Accommodation period	The period during which a client was in specialist homelessness accommodation (also referred to as a period of accommodation). A client may have no accommodation periods or one or more accommodation periods within a support period.
The dates on which each accommodation period began and ended during the support period are collected for clients, but not for accompanying children. It can, however, be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child will have the same accommodation period start and end dates as their parent(s) or guardian(s) in the majority of cases.	
Accompanying child	A person aged under 18 years who:
has a parent or guardian who is a client; and
accompanies that client to a an agency any time during that client’s support period; and/or
receives assistance directly as a consequence of a parent’s or guardian’s support period.	
Accompanying child support period	Each support period in which the child either accompanies a parent or guardian to an agency or receives assistance as a result of a parent’s or guardian’s support period.
Within an accompanying child support period the child may receive one-off assistance and/or support over a period of time. Since the child may not be supported for the entire duration of a parent’s or guardian’s support period, it is not possible to assess the exact length of support for an accompanying child. However, it can be reasonably assumed that an accompanying child will have the same support period start and end dates as their parent(s) or guardian(s) in the majority of cases.
The number of accompanying child support periods is calculated by summing the number of accompanying children reported for each support period.	

Agency	An organisation or establishment that receives a specified amount of NAHA/national partnership funds to provide specialist homelessness services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Agencies may also receive funding from other sources.
Agency inclusion is determined by the state and territory departments responsible for administering the government response to homelessness. Not all funded agencies are required to participate in data collection (see participating agency).	
Alpha code	A predetermined combination of letters from a client’s or accompanying child’s name, together with a letter designating their sex. See also valid alpha code and statistical linkage key.	
At imminent risk of homelessness	Includes people who are at risk of losing their housing because of factors that do not pose a threat to their safety, for example interpersonal conflicts that do not involve violence. A person who requires the support of an agency worker to maintain their current housing situation and live independently in the community may also be considered to be at risk of becoming homeless.	
Client	A person who is homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness who:
is accommodated by an agency; or
enters into an ongoing support relationship with an agency; or
receives support or assistance from an agency which entails generally 1 hour or more of a worker’s time, either with that client directly or on behalf of that client, on a given day.
This includes people who are aged 18 years or older and people of any age not accompanied by a parent or guardian.	
Closed accompanying child support periods	An accompanying child support period associated with a closed support period.	
Closed support period	A support period that had finished on or before the end of the reporting period, 30 June.	
Country of birth	The country in which a person was born. Countries are divided into:
Australia
other English-speaking countries (Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Zimbabwe)
mainly non-English-speaking countries.	

Family group	Refers to the following requesting or client groups:
individual(s) with children
couple no children
couple with children.
See ‘Matching requesting groups’ in Appendix 2 for details of how these groups are formed.	
Homeless person	A person who does not have access to safe, secure and adequate housing. A person is considered not to have access to safe, secure and adequate housing if the only housing to which they have access:
damages, or is likely to damage, their health; or
threatens their safety; or
marginalises them through failing to provide access to
adequate personal amenities, or
the economic and social supports that a home normally affords; or
places them in circumstances which threaten or adversely affect the adequacy, safety, security and affordability of that housing; or
has no security of tenure—that is, they have no legal right to continued occupation of their home.
A person is also considered homeless if he or she is living in accommodation provided by an agency or some other form of emergency accommodation.	
Immediate accommodation	Accommodation required/needed within 24 hours.	
Invalid unmet request for accommodation	An unmet request for accommodation is invalid if:
the request is made at an agency of an inappropriate target group
the person or group is inappropriate for the agency
there is no fee-free accommodation available at the agency
the proffered assistance is refused.	
Informed consent	For the purposes of the SAAP NDC, informed consent is a statement by the client that he or she agrees to have personal information recorded and sent to the AIHW for analysis. The protocols of the collection state that the client must be given appropriate information about why the information is being recorded and what the information will be used for.	

Length of accommodation	Accommodation length is obtained by summing the individual accommodation period lengths reported for a support period. An individual accommodation length is obtained by subtracting the accommodation start date from the accommodation finish date for those periods with valid dates. If a client starts and ends accommodation on the same date, the length of accommodation is recorded as zero.
A support period with accommodation may begin before the start of the financial year. For this report, length of accommodation is the total length of accommodation within a support period, not the length of accommodation within the financial year.	
Mean	For non-funding support periods or client-level items, the mean value of an item is the weighted arithmetic average of the item using relevant records with valid values.
For funding items, the mean is the total funding as reported, divided by the relevant number of units. For funding per support period or per client, weighted estimates of support periods or clients are used in this division.	
Median	The median is the fiftieth percentile of a distribution. This is the value of an item such that half (using weights) of relevant records with valid values are below this value and half are above it.	
Met request for accommodation	A request for accommodation is met if the agency offers supported accommodation to the person or group requesting accommodation and that offer is accepted. All met requests for accommodation are considered to be valid as the accommodation could be provided.	
Missing values	Records that are not available for analysis are shown in table notes. The number of such records for each table is calculated in the following order of precedence:
records not available because of errors
records not available because of omissions.
In tables involving subpopulations, it is impossible to determine whether a given record should be included or excluded if data are missing for the variable(s) defining the subpopulation in the analysis. Such records are generally not included in the missing count for these tables.	

Participating agency/
participation rate	The participation status of an agency is determined by their status in the Administrative Data Collection as well as by their participation in the SAAP NDC during the reference period.
The Administrative Data Collection contains information on all funded agencies. These agencies fall into one of two categories: non-participating agencies and participating agencies.
Non-participating agencies are funded but are not required to participate in data collection. They are excluded from the calculation of the participation rate but are included in tables relating to agency funding.
Participating agencies are those that are required to return data for the reference period. With some exceptions, these form the basis for the calculation of the participation rate. Participating agencies are not considered ‘in scope’ for the reference period if they were not able to participate in the collection for that year. For example, the Administrative Data Collection indicated that they were closed for the entire reference period and they did not return any data.	
Percentages	Percentages presented in the report are based on valid values only; that is, records without values for the relevant data item are excluded from the denominator before percentages are calculated.	
Primary target group	Refers to the primary target group of the agency, that is, the primary characteristics of persons to whom a service is targeted.
There are six classifications used by the SAAP NDC. These are:
young people
single men only
single women only
families
women and children escaping domestic violence
cross-target/multiple/general.	
Referral	For the purposes of the SAAP NDC, a referral involves a formal process, not simply the provision of information. A (formal) referral occurs when an agency contacts another organisation and that organisation accepts the person concerned for an appointment or interview. A referral has not been provided if the person is not accepted for an appointment or interview.	
Requesting group	See ‘Matching requesting groups’ in Appendix 2 for details of how these groups are formed.	

Rounding	Daily average estimates are generally rounded to one decimal place.
Annual estimates derived from the Client Collection are generally rounded to the nearest 100. 	
Statistical linkage key	A statistical linkage key is a derived variable that allows demographic data about the same client to be combined across support periods without the name of the client being recorded.
See also Valid statistical linkage key. 	
Support period	Commences when a client begins to receive support and/or supported accommodation from an agency. The support period is considered to finish when:
the client ends the relationship with the agency; or
the agency ends the relationship with the client.
If it is not clear whether the agency or the client has ended the relationship, the support period is assumed to have ended if no assistance has been provided to the client for a period of 1 month. In such a case, the date the support period ended is the last contact with the client.
Support periods from operational agencies are included in the analyses presented in this report if:
the client’s support period ended in the reporting period; or
the client’s support period started on or before the end of the reporting period and either was ongoing at the end of the reporting period (30 June) or the end date of the support period was unknown and the record was entered by the AIHW before the data entry close-off date for the reporting period.	
Support period with accommodation	A support period in which a support type of ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ was provided and/or a date of ‘SAAP/CAP accommodation’ was provided.	
Total demand for accommodation	The total demand for accommodation refers to accommodation requested from an agency, whether that request was met or not. It includes accommodation that was newly starting and accommodation that was continuing from a previous day, as well as unmet requests for accommodation.	
Turn-away—percentage of people requiring new and immediate accommodation 	Calculated as the daily average percentage of people who were turned away relative to all people who required new and immediate accommodation. It provides an indication of a person’s likelihood of obtaining government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation.	

Turn-away—percentage of total demand for immediate accommodation	Calculated as the daily average percentage of people who were turned away relative to all people who required new and immediate accommodation plus those who were continuing their accommodation from a previous day. It provides a measure of the overall ability of government-funded specialist homelessness agencies to meet the expressed demand for their accommodation.	
Unmet need	Used in the SAAP NDC Client Collection. An unmet need occurs when an agency worker assesses that a client needs a support service during their support period, and that service is not provided or formally referred on.	
Valid alpha code	This is an alpha code that is given with informed consent, and contains only letters from the alphabet or the numeral ‘2’ (to indicate a short name) and ends in either M or F to indicate the sex.	
Valid consent	Refers to a valid statistical linkage key.	
Valid date of birth	For the purposes of the NDC, a valid date of birth is one which is provided with informed consent; and has the day and month of birth completed and not estimated; and the year of birth completed either estimated or not estimated.	
Valid statistical linkage key	Statistical linkage keys are used to join records for the same person without identifying that person. For the purposes of the NDC, a valid statistical linkage key comprises a valid alpha code and valid date of birth.	
Valid unmet request for accommodation	An unmet request for accommodation is valid if the agency cannot offer accommodation because:
insufficient accommodation is available
the agency is a referred agency with no vacancies on the books
the type of accommodation requested is not provided by the agency
there are insufficient staff to provide support
facilities for special needs are not available
other reasons not elsewhere specified.	
Appendix 5	Abbreviations and symbols
Abbreviations
ABS	Australian Bureau of Statistics	
ACT	Australian Capital Territory	
AIHW	Australian Institute of Health and Welfare	
CAP	Crisis Accommodation Program	
NAHA	National Affordable Housing Agreement	
No.	number	
NPAH	National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness	
NSW	New South Wales	
NT	Northern Territory	
Qld	Queensland	
SA	South Australia	
SAAP	Supported Accommodation Assistance Program	
SAAP NDC	SAAP National Data Collection	
SHS	Specialist Homelessness Services Collection	
SLK	statistical linkage key	
Tas	Tasmania	
THM	Transitional Housing Management program	
VHDC	Victorian Homelessness Data Collection	
Vic	Victoria	
WA	Western Australia	
Symbols in tables
. .	not applicable	
—	nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)	
n.a.	not available	
Appendix 6	Collection forms
Copy of Client form, July 2010-June 2011
References
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2005. SAAP National Data Collection collectors manual July 2005. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2011a. People turned away from government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation 2010–11: appendix. Cat. no. HOU 260. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2011b. Government-funded specialist homelessness services: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2010–11 Australia. Cat. no. HOU 250. Canberra: AIHW.

List of tables
Table A1:	Demand for Accommodation Collection: agency participation rates and records returned, by state and territory for 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011 and by reporting period for 2006–07 to 2010–11
Table A2:	Client Collection: agency participation rates and records returned for clients, by state and territory for 2010–11 and by reporting period for 2006–07 to 2010–11
Table A3:	Adults and unaccompanied children turned away, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A4:	Accompanying children turned away, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2009 and  4–10 May 2010
Table A5:	Total people turned away, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A6:	Total people turned away, by requesting group, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A7:	Total people turned away each day, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10  May 2011
Table A8:	Total people turned away, state and territory by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2010–11
Table A9:	Total people turned away, requesting group by reporting period, 2006–07 to 2010–11
Table A10:	People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by sex, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A11:	People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by age, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A12:	People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by 
country of birth, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A13:	People with a valid unmet request for immediate accommodation, by 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A14:	Valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation: main reason why request was not met, by state and territory, 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A15:	Valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation: main reason why 
request was not met, by requesting group, 17–23 November 2010 and 
4–10 May 2011
Table A16:	Referrals for accommodation made in valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation, by state and territory, 3–9 December 2008 and 6–12 May 2009 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A17:	Referrals for accommodation made in valid unmet requests for immediate accommodation, by requesting group, 3–9 December 2008 and 6–12 May 2009 17–23 November 2010 and 4–10 May 2011
Table A18:	Closed support periods in which clients were accommodated: mean and median length of accommodation, by state and territory, 2010–11
Table A19:	Closed support periods with accommodation: mean and median length of accommodation, by client group, 2010–11