Subscribe to keep up to date with the latest research, resources, news and events from The Deck.
You can also sign up to Q Shelter’s monthly newsletter, Home Matters.
Just 5% of Australian community services staff able to meet demand
Publisher/s
The Guardian
Author/s
Josh Taylor
Abstract
ACoSS survey finds financial counselling, legal services and homelessness sectors particularly stretched, with those in rural areas under most pressure.
Just 5% of staff working in community services say they have enough capacity to meet demand, a survey commissioned by the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) has found.
The survey of 1,464 staff including 406 organisational leaders, conducted in October this year found very few had the ability to completely meet the demand for services from the community.
Those most likely to report unmet demand were in the housing and homelessness (38%) sector, financial counselling (35%) and legal services (33%). Those located in regional and rural areas had higher levels of unmet demand.
Just 5% of respondents said they were completely able to meet demand, while 41% said they were somewhat able to meet demand. Almost one-quarter of respondents said they were rarely or never able to meet demand.