Multiple disruptions: circumstances and experiences of young people living with homelessness and unemployment

This article is about young people who have experienced both homelessness and unemployment, with their interacting impacts. While ‘young people’ is usually understood to include those beyond childhood and up to 25 years of age, the homelessness services that initiated YP4 decided that the project should focus on people in the first one-third of their expected working lives. Thus the eligible age group for YP4 was 18−35 years. In practice, 75 per cent of participants were aged 25 years and under. This paper presents a more detailed descriptive profile than has previously been published regarding the circumstances of young people living with homelessness and unemployment. This profile confirms and adds quantification to previously published material on the complex disadvantages experienced by these young people. Our findings are indicative of the circumstances of the broader population of young Australians in these circumstances

The influence of alkalosis on repeated high-intensity exercise performance and acid–base balance recovery in acute moderate hypoxic conditions

Purpose Exacerbated hydrogen cation (H⁺) production is suggested to be a key determinant of fatigue in acute hypoxic conditions. This study, therefore, investigated the effects of NaHCO3 ingestion on repeated 4 km TT cycling performance and post-exercise acid–base balance recovery in acute moderate hypoxic conditions. Methods Ten male trained cyclists completed four repeats of 2 × 4 km cycling time trials (TT1 and TT2) with 40 min passive recovery, each on different days. Each TT series was preceded by supplementation of one of the 0.2 g kg⁻¹ BM NaHCO3 (SBC2), 0.3 g kg⁻¹ BM NaHCO3 (SBC3), or a taste-matched placebo (0.07 g kg⁻¹ BM sodium chloride; PLA), administered in a randomized order. Supplements were administered at a pre-determined individual time to peak capillary blood bicarbonate concentration ([HCO3⁻]). Each TT series was also completed in a normobaric hypoxic chamber set at 14.5% FiO2 (~ 3000 m). Results Performance was improved following SBC3 in both TT1 (400.2 ± 24.1 vs. 405.9 ± 26.0 s; p = 0.03) and TT2 (407.2 ± 29.2 vs. 413.2 ± 30.8 s; p = 0.01) compared to PLA, displaying a very likely benefit in each bout. Compared to SBC2, a likely and possible benefit was also observed following SBC3 in TT1 (402.3 ± 26.5 s; p = 0.15) and TT2 (410.3 ± 30.8 s; p = 0.44), respectively. One participant displayed an ergolytic effect following SBC3, likely because of severe gastrointestinal discomfort, as SBC2 still provided ergogenic effects. Conclusion NaHCO3 ingestion improves repeated exercise performance in acute hypoxic conditions, although the optimal dose is likely to be 0.3 g kg⁻¹ BM

Attitudes to homelessness in Australia

There has been very little research to date investigating attitudes to homelessness in Australia. Such research is important as public opinion can influence both political will to act and the viability of different policy responses. Attitudes also shape the way the community responds to those who are disadvantaged. Using data collected through the 2007 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes on homelessness, this study investigated attitudes of the Australian community about the perceived causes of homelessness and responsibility for addressing it. Exploratory principal component analysis revealed an underlying structure to participants’ responses. Three components or response patterns emerged, with participants viewing homelessness as a problem: with external causes requiring government solutions; of collective responsibility; with individual causes, where individuals and their families are responsible for resolution. This finding is consistent with some studies from the United States and United Kingdom that show that attitudes to homelessness are complex and do not necessarily align with the structural/individual dichotomy in a straightforward way. Demographic factors such as age, sex, class, educational attainment and political affiliation were explored as predictors of attitudes. While some significant relationships were found, multiple regression analysis revealed that these factors explained very little of the overall variance in attitudes to homelessness. This has implications for public opinion research on homelessness, which has focused largely on demographic attributes as predictors of attitudes

Australian homeless jobseekers aged 18-35 : benchmark report for YP4

YP4 is a trial of joined up services for homeless jobseekers. This is the first report of the YP4 outcome evaluation team. It presents a socio-demographic profile of homeless jobseekers aged 18-35 years, as a benchmark for the group recruited for the YP4 trial. In preparing this profile, we experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining data regarding the population from which the YP4 participants have been drawn. Planning for joined up services in the future will require much better access to a range of data in relation to target populations. This report sheds light on the unexpected slow recruitment into the trial. In addition, it presents limited outcome benchmarks for interventions with the target group. Like the demographic data, this information is not readily available. We will continue to pursue additional outcome benchmarks for our next report

The changing geography of homelessness: a spatial analysis from 2001 to 2016

This study examined the changing geography of homelessness. It outlines the extent to which homelessness has become more spatially concentrated over time; where it has risen and fallen; and the importance that housing affordability, poverty and labour market opportunities play in reshaping its distribution

The spatial dynamics of homelessness in Australia 2001–2011

Examines the impact of housing and labour market factors, demographics and service availability on rates of homelessness across Australia over the past decade. Executive summary This is the first of two reports focusing on the structural factors underlying homelessness in Australia. This first stage details the analysis undertaken with large secondary data sources to examine the spatial dynamics of homelessness from 2001 to 2011. The second stage of the project, to be presented in a Final Report, will model the role of housing and labour markets, household income, and household characteristics in shaping the spatial distribution of homelessness across Australia. Australia has a rich bank of qualitative research that describes the circumstances, personal characteristics, and practices of people who experience homelessness. More recently research has investigated the pathways into and out of homelessness. However, to date there has been little investigation of the structural drivers of homelessness and minimal use of quantitative evidence to inform an understanding of the role that housing and labour market conditions play in shaping whether people are more or less vulnerable to homelessness. This project aims to fill this knowledge gap. In this report we address the following research questions: Where is homelessness high and where is it low? Where is homelessness rising or falling? Is homelessness becoming more or less spatially concentrated? Are there changes in the composition of the homeless population? Are homelessness services well located to intervene in areas with high and rising rates of homelessness? And finally, are changes in the geography of homelessness associated with changes in housing and labour market conditions, household income or other household characteristics? Following an increased national focus on homelessness, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has, for the first time, developed a statistical definition of homelessness that could be applied to multiple ABS census collections (2001, 2006, 2011), and for geographical units at different levels of aggregation. This recent development has enabled the current project to be undertaken.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  &nbsp

Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of Physical Performance Measures in Individuals With Pre-manifest and Manifest Huntington Disease

Background: Clinical intervention trials in people with Huntington disease (HD) have been limited by a lack of reliable and appropriate outcome measures. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) of various outcome measures that are potentially suitable for evaluating physical functioning in individuals with HD. Design: This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study. Methods: Participants with pre-manifest and manifest HD (early, middle, and late stages) were recruited from 8 international sites to complete a battery of physical performance and functional measures at 2 assessments, separated by 1 week. Test-retest reliability (using intraclass correlation coefficients) and MDC values were calculated for all measures. Results: Seventy-five individuals with HD (mean age=52.12 years, SD=11.82) participated in the study. Test-retest reliability was very high (>.90) for participants with manifest HD for the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), 10-Meter Walk Test, Timed “Up & Go” Test (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Physical Performance Test (PPT), Barthel Index, Rivermead Mobility Index, and Tinetti Mobility Test (TMT). Many MDC values suggested a relatively high degree of inherent variability, particularly in the middle stage of HD. Minimum detectable change values for participants with manifest HD that were relatively low across disease stages were found for the BBS (5), PPT (5), and TUG (2.98). For individuals with pre-manifest HD (n=11), the 6MWT and Four Square Step Test had high reliability and low MDC values. Limitations: The sample size for the pre-manifest HD group was small. Conclusions: The BBS, PPT, and TUG appear most appropriate for clinical trials aimed at improving physical functioning in people with manifest HD. Further research in people with pre-manifest HD is necessary