Homelessness across Australia: the Salvation Army’s response

This report brings together a national data snapshot of Salvation Army homelessness services and the people assisted on a daily basis.Key findings:155 Salvation Army homelessness services operate across Australia. One out of every eight clients who accesses all Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) in Australia accesses a Salvation Army service. Over 20% of clients accessing Salvation Army SHS services who provided information on their mental health have been diagnosed with a mental health issue. 44% of clients accessing Salvation Army SHS services identified housing affordability or housing crisis as their main presenting issue. 17% of Salvation Army clients identified financial difficulty as their main presenting issue. Approximately 50% of women accessing Salvation Army SHS women’s services identified domestic and family violence as their main presenting issue. 25% of clients accessing Salvation Army homelessness services have been homeless for more than six months. Over 80% of Salvation Army SHS clients identified government support payments as their main source of income. Over $31 million of Salvation Army generated revenue is directed to Salvation Army SHS services, in addition to nearly $58 million provided by governments. More than 310,000 accommodation days were provided