High rates of long-term homelessness in the ACT are concerning but the government is working hard to ensure people in crisis can access help, the ACT's Homelessness Minister has said.
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Rebecca Vassarotti said government spending on homelessness services had grown by more than 26 per cent in 2021-22.
The increased funding would help meet increased demand and ensure people with complex and high levels of support needs have the help to get them into permanent housing, she said.
"We continue to pursue a future where homelessness is rare, brief and non re-occurring," Ms Vassarotti said.
The Productivity Commission's report on government services shows 42.9 per cent of people accessing homelessness support in the ACT were homeless for at least seven months in two years.
Nationally, just 26.6 per cent of clients accessing support services reported persistent homelessness in the same period.
The ACT has had the highest rate of persistent homelessness since at least 2018-19.
The housing needs of more than a quarter of people in the ACT relying on homelessness support are also not being met.
However, fewer people in the ACT become homeless again after finding housing than the national average after consistent improvement since 2018-19.
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Meanwhile, the Productivity Commission data revealed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be overrepresented in the territory's child protection and youth justice systems.
ACT Council of Social Service interim chief executive Gemma Killen said more needed be done to reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders coming into contact with the child protection and youth justice systems.
More than 44 per cent of young offenders return to custody within a year of release in the ACT.
While this is lower than the national rate of 50.9 per cent, the ACT's rate has grown from 33.3 per cent in 2014-15.
Youth Justice Minister Emma Davidson said the ACT data was too small to draw conclusions from.
"The ACT government's commitment to raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility ... will see fewer young people coming in and out of the justice system and more children at home with their families, where they belong," Ms Davidson said.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
