Journeys Home Research Report No 1: Wave 1 Findings

This Research Report presents key findings from the first wave of the JH study, which was conducted over the period September to November 2011. Most of the research questions that FaHCSIA set out in its Statement of Requirement that it hoped JH would help address require examination of the pathways into and out of homelessness, which can only be obtained from longitudinal data. Our aims at this stage are therefore quite modest, given that we only have one cross section of data. We have four key aims in this report. First, we wish to establish key differences in the demographic profiles of the JH sample with that of the general population. Second, we examine respondents' experiences of homelessness, by estimating the incidence of homelessness at the time of interview, and by examining respondents' histories of homelessness. Third, we examine the relationship between a range of risk and protective factors commonly associated with homelessness and respondents actual homeless experiences. Finally, we examine the homeless experiences of a number of high risk subgroups identified as priorities for the government in the White Paper on homelessness.