Related Projects

• Indigenous homelessness: place, house and home
• Evidence for improving access to homelessness services
• Heroin users, housing and social participation: attacking social exclusion through better housing
• Developing models of good practice in meeting the needs of homeless young people in rural areas

A comparative study of housing needs and provisions for recently arrived refugees

Summary

Project Number: 40048
Research Theme: Homelessness
Project Leader: Beer, Andrew
Funding Year: 2001
Research Centre: Southern

Research & Policy Bulletin

Issue 058: Housing need and provision for recently arrived refugees in Australia

Refugees (Permanent Protection Visa and Temporary Protection Visa holders) establish themselves in the housing market following a number of moves in the first year of settlement. Support provided by friends, family and community members, as well as by government, is important in the settlement process.

Download the PDF
67 KB PDF Document

Description

This research conducted 434 face-to-face interviews (266 PPV holders, 153 TPV holders and 15 not stated) in Adelaide (152), Perth (150) and Brisbane (132) during 2002–2003. A snowball sampling methodology was used meaning that this is an indicative rather than a representative sample of refugees who are primarily from Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan and Croatia. The interviews were conducted in the first language of the respondent.

The key findings of the research are:

• PPV holders are typically sponsored into and remain in the private rental market, generally moving three times within the first year.
• TPV holders are slightly more mobile, moving four times within 12 months of release from detention. They typically spend their first night post detention in a hotel, motel or backpacker hostel, with subsequent moves into the private rental sector, and stay with friends, relatives or community members.
• Based on the conventional standards applied in Australia, at least one-third of respondents have been homeless at some stage since their arrival in Australia—primarily due to the temporary and transitory nature of their accommodation.
• Support provided by friends, family and community members is important in the settlement process, particularly for those refugees sponsored by family members.
  

More Information

Research and Policy Bulletin: Issue 058: Housing need and provision for recently arrived refugees in Australia
67 KB PDF Document

Final Report: No. 048: Housing need and provision for recently arrived refugees in Australia
988 KB PDF Document

Positioning Paper: No. 049: Housing need and provision for recently arrived refugees in Australia
299 KB PDF Document