Homeless worst hit in squeeze on welfare Most affected: Services assisting the homeless. Photo: John Donegan Welfare agencies specialising in services for the homeless, legal assistance, the needs of youth and emergency relief are the most strained in the community sector. Findings from the Australian Council of Social Service's annual Australian Community Sector Survey, to be released on Monday, reveal extreme pressure on some services. The survey of 532 community groups showed services assisting the homeless were the most squeezed, with 66 per cent of respondents saying they were struggling to meet demand. Legal services were also severely affected, with 63 per cent saying they could not meet demand and three-quarters reporting they had asked staff and volunteers to work extra hours to keep up with the workload. Legal services had the highest turn-away rate of any service, being unable to provide help to one in five people seeking assistance. Organisations assisting young people also reported a high turn-away rate of 17 per cent, up 8 per cent on the previous year. About half of all youth services reported difficulties in meeting demand. A large proportion of mental health services, domestic violence groups and sexual assault services also reported being unable to meet demand. All services reported housing as the greatest need of clients approaching them for help. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare will release data on Monday showing that 157,000 people used specialist homelessness services between July and December last year. Women comprised 58 per cent of people seeking help, with 32 per cent reporting domestic violence as the most common reason for needing assistance.