Definitions:

SAAP Client: A SAAP client is a person who is homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness who:

• is accommodated by a SAAP agency; or
• enters into an ongoing support relationship with a SAAP agency; or
• receives support or assistance from a SAAP 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. Note that this includes all forms of assistance covered under SAAP. General SAAP support, such as financial assistance, counselling and assistance with problem gambling, will generally still provide indirect aid to clients for securing and sustaining tenancy.

People can be considered as a SAAP client for a particular financial year reporting when:

• 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 NDCA before the data entry close-off date for the reporting period.

SAAP/Crisis Accommodation Program (CAP) Crisis/short-term accommodation (including Transitional Housing Management (THM) crisis):  Refers to accommodation at a SAAP-funded agency or accommodation owned and/or directly managed by a SAAP agency (including CAP properties), which is generally up to three months duration. Crisis accommodation generally involves a more intensive staff/client relationship, which may include 24 hour on-site or on-call access to staff support, usually required in the early stages of homelessness.  THM crisis properties operate in Victoria only.

Presented as a number

Number of SAAP clients and accompanying children (within a financial year reporting period) who were:

• in an improvised dwelling or rough sleeping, or in SAAP/CAP crisis/short term accommodation (including THM crisis) before obtaining house/flat accommodation with tenure,
• and had house/flat accommodation immediately after support, with tenure type:  purchasing/purchased own home, private rental, public housing rental, rent-free accommodation, boarding, and
• did not present, within 30 days of receiving support, for crisis, short or medium term support accommodation.
  

Data availability:

2007-08 (baseline year)
2008-09

This output measure is a proxy as it only captures homeless people access a SAAP service and it is difficult to measure long term (sustainable) outcomes.

To appropriately measure this output a single data source would be needed that captures: all people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness; information about assistance provided to them to help secure or sustain tenancies; and information about long-term outcomes in terms of housing sustainability. Such a single data source does not currently exist.  Interim Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) data will be used to produce a proxy measure.  The main limitations of using SAAP data are: it only captures  homeless people who access a SAAP service and it is difficult to measure long-term (sustainable) outcomes. 
Another limitation of SAAP data is that it is support period based, making it necessary to link support periods together in order to obtain information about clients.  This has implications in relation to data quality (in terms of mixed consent and accuracy with regards to the Statistical Linkage Key).

National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA)

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.