In February 2025, Council conducted a survey for community organisations to support the development of a Human Services Needs Analysis (HSNA). The aim of the HSNA is to:

  • understand the human service needs of the municipality
  • capture information about the human services sector in the municipality
  • understand the emerging challenges and priorities for service providers

While we had more respondents to the survey than any previous iteration of this work, we are aware that the respondents were not representative of all the sub-sectors. Through this engagement, we hope to validate the results by checking back in with the sector and hearing from sub-sectors who were unable to complete the survey.

We offer the brief summary of findings below and have several questions.

2025 HSNA

The results of the 2025 Human Services Needs Analysis survey were broadly in line with the results of the three previous iterations. They indicate that while service delivery is growing along with the population, there remain significant challenges in access and availability of some services, for example, mental health and psychology services. The results offered the following themes.

  • Increased Demand

    Most services reported experiencing increased demand over the twelve months to February 2025. While respondents report the community sector is currently managing demand, respondents to the survey also reported that current funding is not covering the full cost of services.

  • Complexity of Need

    Service providers who responded to the survey report that they are currently experiencing increased complexity of needs of service users and also that they have more service users with multiple and complex needs. Service providers are perceiving this as an emerging trend and expect to see the increased complexity of need continue to be a challenge over the next three years.

  • Cost of Living

    This theme is recurring from the previous Human Services Needs Analysis. Respondents to the survey highlighted the cost of living as a key driver of demand, contributor to the increasing complexity of need and also affecting the availability and motivation of volunteers.

  • Mental health services and pathways

    Respondents highlighted mental health services and pathways as a key emerging need for service users in the next three years.

  • Working together

    92% of respondents to the survey reported their services and programs are engaged in collaborative practices across the sector across a range of activities. The sector appears to be working well together and engaged in supportive collaborative behaviour that fosters positive outcomes for both organisations and service users.