Understanding demographics is key to helping communities facing barriers

Nenad Petrović 10 May, 2023

With the recent release of 2021 SEIFA data, local governments in Australia now have a complete range of powerful demographic and socioeconomic information from the 2021 Census to use when assessing the socio-economic wellbeing of their residents. I have written about vulnerable communities in the past and learned a lot during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic about how important quality, up-to-date information is for councils in times of crisis or when creating longer-term plans that aim to create better, more resilient communities. This blog explains who communities facing barriers are and how you can use .id’s Community Profile, Social Atlas and Housing Monitor to learn more about them.

The subject of addressing entrenched disadvantage in communities is also part of a $199.8 million Federal Government package, announced in the 2023–24 Budget.

Communities facing barriers

Communities facing barriers (sometimes called “vulnerable communities”) are typically defined as groups of people at a higher risk of experiencing social, economic, or health-related challenges than the general population. These challenges may be due to various factors, such as poverty, discrimination, limited access to resources, or marginalisation.

Examples of communities facing barriers may include low-income households, recent migrants with poor English proficiency, people with insecure/casual employment, people with disabilities or health problems, seniors, homeless individuals, and refugee, migrant or Indigenous communities. In some cases, communities facing barriers may also be defined based on specific geographic areas experiencing particular challenges, such as areas with high rates of disadvantage, limited access to healthcare and other vital resources, or environmental hazards.

Local governments may use a variety of data sources and metrics to identify communities facing barriers within their municipality, and up-to-date demographic and socioeconomic data is some of the best information available to help identify and prioritise action. Once communities facing barriers are identified, local governments may develop targeted policies and programs to address the needs of these communities and promote more significant equity and social justice.

Examples of communities facing barriers

Some examples of communities facing barriers are:

Elderly people
People with disabilities or health conditions
Homeless people
Indigenous communities
Refugee and migrant communities
Low-income households
LGBTIQ+ communities

These are just some examples, and the types of support and assistance provided may vary depending on the specific needs of each community and the resources available to local government authorities.

Elderly people

Vulnerability Risk	How can local government help?
Older adults are at a higher risk of experiencing social isolation, poverty, and health problems, particularly if they have limited access to social and economic resources.	Local government authorities can provide support and services to elderly people, including social support, health care, and housing assistance.

People with disabilities or health conditions

Vulnerability Risk	How can local government help?
People with disabilities and health conditions may experience barriers to accessing education, employment, and health care and may require additional support and resources to participate fully in society.	Local government authorities can provide services and facilities to support people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, such as accessible public transportation, disability parking permits, therapy and disability-friendly public spaces.

Homeless people

Vulnerability Risk	How can local government help?
Homelessness often stems from a combination of economic, social, and health-related factors. Homeless people may struggle to access basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and hygiene facilities, experience physical and mental health problems, social isolation and stigma and be exposed to violence and crime.	Local government authorities can provide temporary accommodation and support services to people experiencing homelessness and initiatives to prevent homelessness and support long-term housing solutions.

Indigenous communities

Vulnerability Risk	How can local government help?
Our First Nations peoples may experience social, economic, and health inequalities due to various factors, including historical and ongoing systemic discrimination and disadvantage.	Local government authorities can work with First Nations communities to address issues such as health, education, employment, and access to services as well as communicate appropriately with First Nations Elders and communities (see Victorian Aboriginal and Local Government Strategy, for example).

Refugee and migrant communities

Vulnerability Risk	How can local government help?
Refugees and migrants may face a range of challenges when settling into a new country, including language barriers, cultural differences, and limited access to social and economic resources.	Local government authorities can provide support to refugee and migrant communities to help them settle into their new home, including support with language learning, housing, employment, and accessing services.

Low-income households

Vulnerability Risk	How can local government help?
Low-income households may struggle to access basic necessities such as food, housing, and health care and may be at higher risk of experiencing poverty, homelessness, and social exclusion.	Local government authorities can provide financial support to low-income households through rental assistance programs, emergency financial aid, or utility bills, housing, food, health care, education or employment support. Some of this assistance may also come from the State Government.

LGBTIQ+ communities

Vulnerability Risk	How can local government help?
LGBTQ+ populations may experience discrimination and social exclusion, which can negatively impact their mental and physical health and their social and economic opportunities.	Local government authorities can provide support and services to LGBTIQ+ communities, including support for health and wellbeing, social inclusion initiatives, and advocacy for equal rights.

Using your .id tools when assessing communities facing barriers

Your Community Profile, Social Atlas and Housing Monitor tools can help assess and identify many of the abovementioned communities facing barriers. Below is a table of available resources within .id’s suite of tools.

Some tips when assessing communities facing barriers:

Understand change over time in absolute and percentage terms. If certain services are usually provided based on the number of people in a particular community/group, then absolute change over time is essential.
Understand spatial diversity. Your Community Profile offers a lot of information at a small area level. Your Social Atlas provides a visual representation of demographic trends spatially. Use Social Atlas to identify where a certain community facing barriers is more prevalent or to see change over time. The “Analysis” tab of Social Atlas provides an easy way of ranking small areas within your LGA while benchmarking them to the LGA, region or State.
Benchmark to the LGA, region or State. Are the characteristics of a group more prevalent in a particular suburb than the LGA? Are your LGA-level statistics different to what is happening regionally? Benchmarking is powerful for comparison and if you need to strengthen a case for increased funding/grants or resourcing.
Use what is already in the tool/s. The Community Profile offers excellent explanatory text for each topic and provides clear “dominant and emerging” group summaries near the bottom of each page.

Community Group	Available .id resources	Additional resources available (contact us)
Elderly people	Service age groups 85+ year olds Disengagement by age Need for assistance by age Households without children Older couples without children Older lone person households Seniors unemployment rate	Age Groups Communities of Interest
People with disabilities or health conditions	Need for assistance due to disability Need for assistance spatial distribution Long-term health conditions Long-term health conditions spatial distribution	Need for assistance Communities of Interest Advanced analysis of disability and long-term health conditions available upon request
Homeless people	Homeless people estimated Affordable housing need for homeless people	Advanced analysis about homelessness, change over time, type of homelessness available upon request.
Indigenous Communities	First Nations Peoples spatial distribution	First Nations Communities of Interest
Refugee and migrant communities	Overseas arrivals Recent arrivals spatial distribution Proficiency in English Low English fluency spatial distribution Language used at home Birthplace Born overseas spatial distribution Ancestry Religion	Overseas-born Communities of Interest Recent Arrivals Communities of Interest Non-English speakers Communities of Interest
Low-income households	Individual income quartiles Household income quartiles Low-income households spatial distribution Low-income households housing demand	Low-income households Communities of Interest
LGBTIQ+ communities	No information currently available in tools	Advanced analysis about same-sex couples, family composition, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of same-sex couples available upon request.

You can make a difference

Several socioeconomic issues are currently at the forefront of public discourse, including housing affordability, escalating living costs, employment insecurity, gender inequality, and inadequate access to essential opportunities and services. These problems often have a disproportionate impact on communities facing obstacles, sometimes referred to as vulnerable communities.

Local government experts have the ability and responsibility to identify where these members of their communities live and how their livelihoods could be improved. Understanding the demographic characteristics of communities facing barriers is a significant first step in making a difference.

Tags: Demographic analysis Population How to

Nenad Petrović

Nenad’s background is in geosciences and geographic information systems. At .id, Nenad has experience as both as a demographer and population forecaster. His areas of expertise are place-based analysis, identifying spatial patterns in demographic trends, community profiling, catchment analysis and an understanding of role and function of different communities.

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