An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released on Friday has compiled information from a range of sources to build a picture of ex-servicemen and women who use homelessness services.

The study looked at former Australian Defence Force members who had served since the start of 2001.

Some 1215 of that population accessed specialist homelessness services between 2011 and 2017, with women and younger people more likely to be clients.

That accounts for 1.1 per cent of contemporary ex-serving ADF members, which is lower than the 3.4 per cent of Australians who accessed homelessness support in the same period.

At the start of accessing the service, 46 per cent of clients were homeless, while the remaining 54 per cent were at risk of becoming homeless.

Of the veterans seeking support for the first time, 56 per cent of men lived alone, and 46 per cent of women were single parents.

On the other hand, 21 per cent of women lived alone, while just eight per cent of men were single parents.

Ex-ADF members who used specialist homelessness services were more likely to be women, been discharged before the age of 25 and served for less than five years.

Until recently there was limited information available about homelessness among Australian veterans.

AIWH spokesman Michael Frost said the research was important in understanding the welfare of veterans.

"Homelessness can profoundly affect a person's mental and physical health, their education and employment opportunities, and their ability to participate fully in social and community life," he said.

Veteran Affairs Minister Darren Chester said the government was taking a broader response to veterans than dealing with the specific issue of homelessness.

But he would discuss the matter with state and territory counterparts at a meeting next week.

"We can't escape the fact there are cases where people, through a whole range of reasons - whether it's through injury or illness or through marital breakdown or family split-ups - end up in a position where they're not living in their own homes any more," he told reporters.

"It is a very complex issue and one where we need to work closely with state governments."

Australian Associated Press