Rise in homeless people not getting refuge

There is rising unmet demand in Australia for accommodation for people who are homeless, new figures show.

An annual report on government services released Thursday says the number of Australians facing repeat periods of homelessness is also rising.

The Productivity Commission report showed 33.8 per cent of Australians needing access to accommodation services in 2018-19 were not getting them.

In 2014-15, only 25.9 per cent of people in need of services weren't getting access.

The number of repeat clients for specialist homelessness services had also risen, from 5 per cent in 2014-15 to 5.6 per cent in 2018-19.

Services costs had slowly dropped over the same period, with the commission saying this could indicate improved efficiencies or poorer quality services and longer wait times.

There was little change in users employment or education statuses after accessing services.

The proportion of clients employed or undergoing training or education was 21.3 per cent in 2018-19, compared to 20.1 per cent before accessing services.