What we reviewed and why
We assessed whether the South Australian Housing Trust (SAHT) effectively manages its provision of specialist homelessness services.
Managing these services effectively is important because the people experiencing homelessness are among the most vulnerable in our community. Homelessness can significantly harm people’s health, safety, wellbeing and ability to engage socially and economically.
SAHT funds non-government organisations to provide specialist homelessness services that help clients to find and maintain housing. Demand for these services has recently increased considerably due to the significant pressures on the housing market that make finding affordable housing difficult.
Key facts
71%
of specialist homelessness services clients
did not have their need for long-term housing met
in 2022-23*
SAHT spent
$73 million
on supporting
19,422
South Australians
experiencing homelessness issues in 2022-23
The average number of monthly
specialist homelessness services clients
increased by 9%
between 2019-20 and 2022-23, while SA Government funding for these services decreased in real terms
The average life expectancy of people experiencing homelessness is
22 to 33 years less than people in secure housing*
*Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
What we concluded
While SAHT is progressing some important initiatives to improve its practices and processes, it is not effectively managing its provision of specialist homelessness services and the increased demand for them.
We found gaps in key areas:
Strategic planning for specialist homelessness services does not reflect the current operating environment or targets for measuring success.
No analysis was performed to identify service gaps and determine funding required to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
There is a lack of guidance on how services are to be prioritised in periods of high demand.
There is limited oversight of the way service providers plan to achieve intended outcomes.
Service contract design does not enable effective performance monitoring.
There is limited oversight and reporting on system and service outcomes and performance.
These gaps increase the risk that South Australians experiencing or at risk of homelessness will not receive the support they need to obtain or maintain sustainable housing, and they may experience housing insecurity for longer.
SAHT acknowledged where it needs to improve and we noted during the audit it was taking active steps to address the gaps we identified. This includes implementing an outcomes measurement framework, more governance reporting and a new sector governance group to oversee the specialist homelessness services system.