Disability and the relative risk of homelessness: a quantitative exploration

Abstract

In a number of Australian and international studies persons with a disability have been shown to be more vulnerable to homelessness than the broader population. While homelessness among this group is often related to low incomes, restricted engagement with the labour market, and housing limitations, it is also clear that homelessness risk, and the pathways into (and out of) homelessness for individuals with different disability types, are diverse. This research examines the relative risk of homelessness for Australians with a disability, and compares outcomes across major disability types. The paper reports on the quantitative findings of an analysis of two large Australian datasets - the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey and the Australian Bureau of Statistics' General Social Survey (GSS). The relative risk of homelessness is analysed for the Australian population along a ten-point continuum. This risk approach allows the examination of populations with a disability who have experienced homelessness, those who may be at risk or on the edges of homelessness, as well as those who may be protected from the risk of homelessness. The analysis shows that Australian populations with a disability are distinct from populations without disabilities in terms of their risk of homelessness. Beyond simple higher level risk, the analysis reveals distinct patterns across the entire homelessness continuum, indicating sub-populations who may either be protected from, or made more vulnerable to homelessness, by their disability. Such findings have broad relevance for the development of homelessness and housing policy and the provision of services for disabled populations.