Deaths
Experiencing or being at risk of homelessness is associated with poorer health outcomes, ultimately increasing mortality rates among those experiencing homelessness. Figure 38 presents the number of people who accessed SHS supports in the 12-months prior to their death, by gender and homeless operational category. As can be seen in Figure 38, more men have died than women, particularly those who were sleeping rough.
Figure 38
Figure 39 presents the standardised rate ratios (SRR) for those who accessed SHS supports in the 12-months prior to their death, by gender, compared to those who did not access SHS supports (i.e., those not experiencing homelessness). The SRR has been calculated by dividing the standardised death rate for SHS clients by the standardised death rate for non-SHS clients. As can be seen in Figure 39, deaths among those experiencing homelessness were 1.8 times the rate of those not experiencing homelessness in 2021-22. Further, the rate was higher for men, with an SRR of 2.2.
Figure 39
Figure 40 presents the standardised mortality rates (SMR) for those who accessed SHS supports in the 12-months prior to their death, by age, compared to the general population. The SMR is calculated by dividing the number of actual deaths by the number of expected deaths based on the death rates for the respective age groups in the general population, SMRs greater than 1 suggest the mortality rate is higher than the general population. As can be seen in Figure 40, all SMRs exceed 1 across all age groups in all years for which data is available. In 2021-22, the SMRs ranged from 4.4 to 6.0, with the highest SMR being for those aged 25-34. That is, the death rate among those aged between 25 and 34 who accessed SHS supports in the 12-months prior to their death was 6.0 times the rate of deaths among the same age group in the general population.
Figure 40
Figures 41 and 42 present the leading causes of death among those who accessed SHS supports in the 12-months prior to their death. As can be seen in Figure 41, in 2021-22, 15% of deaths were due to accidental poisoning, 12% were due to suicide, 8% heart disease, 5.4% liver disease, 4.6% lung cancer, 4.5% diabetes, 3.6% COPD, and 3.5% road accidents. When we look at deaths among SHS clients as a percentage of all deaths in Figure 42, we can see that of those who died from accidental poisoning in 2021-22, as many as 15.7% had accessed an SHS in the 12-months prior to their death. Further, 5.5% of deaths due to suicide in 2021-22 were SHS clients, as well as 4.0% of deaths due to road accidents, and 3.3% of deaths due to liver disease. Considering roughly 1% of Australians accessed SHS supports in the same year, SHS clients are substantially overrepresented in these deaths.
