Journeys Home: A Longitudinal Study of Factors Affecting Housing Stability
About the study
Journeys Home: A Longitudinal Study of Factors Affecting Housing Stability was an important national survey about the living and housing challenges of Australians. Data collection for the study is now complete.
The study aimed to improve understanding of the diverse social, economic and personal factors related to homelessness and the risk of becoming homeless. Data included:
- personal circumstances
- family circumstances
- housing circumstances
- the use of support services.
The data supports the work of policy makers, academics and service providers. It supports provision of better services to people with living and housing challenges.
Learn more about the study in the Journeys Home fact sheet.
Visit the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research website for detailed information about the Journeys Home study(Opens in a new tab/window).
Study participants
There were 6 waves of data collection, each 6 months apart. Collection occurred between September 2011 and the first half of 2014. The study followed 1,600 income support recipients across Australia.
Table: Journeys Home sample size and response rates
This table shows for each wave the number of Journeys Home participants who responded and the retention rates.
| Persons | In-scope population (number) | Respondents (number) | Wave response rate (%) | Retention rate of wave 1 (%) |
| Wave 1 | - | 1,676 | - | - |
| Wave 2 | 1,660 | 1,525 | 91.9 | 91.0 |
| Wave 3 | 1,638 | 1,474 | 90.0 | 87.9 |
| Wave 4 | 1,632 | 1,454 | 89.1 | 86.8 |
| Wave 5 | 1,633 | 1,421 | 87.0 | 84.8 |
| Wave 6 | 1,617 | 1,402 | 86.7 | 83.7 |
Notes:
- Response rates are calculated as a percentage of the in-scope participants at the commencement of fieldwork for each wave. Response rates are not provided for wave 1.
- Retention rates are calculated as a percentage of the wave 1 participants who completed each wave. They do not account for participants who are no longer in-scope (for example, moved overseas, passed away) or new sample members recruited in subsequent waves. Therefore, they only partially reflect the full response picture.
Governance
The Melbourne Institute: Applied Economics and Social Research at the University of Melbourne conducted Journeys Home on behalf of the Department of Social Services.
Roy Morgan Research undertook the fieldwork.
How to access the data
Data are available to approved researchers from government, academic institutions and non-profit organisations. Visit the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research website for information about accessing the Journeys Home data(Opens in a new tab/window).
Research and publications
You can find research and publications that used Journeys Home data:
- on our FloSse Research(Opens in a new tab/window) website
- on the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research website page Journeys Home reports and publications(Opens in a new tab/window).
Contact us
For more information about the study, contact LongitudinalStudies@dss.gov.au.