The NSW Ageing on the Edge Coalition brings together 150 organisations and supporters. The members of the Coalition are advocates for change, including older people with lived experience of homelessness, service providers, peak advocacy bodies and private sector organisations, working together to address housing and homelessness related issues of older people.

The Coordination Group of the NSW Ageing on the Edge Forum comprises of:

  Council of the Aged NSW logo  Housing for the Aged Action Group logo  Mercy Foundation logo  Uniting Logo    Womens Housing Company LogoShelter NSW logo

Older Womens Network NSW logo   Womens Electoral Lobby logo

NSW Lived Experience Advisory Group 

The NSW Lived Experience Advisory Group brings together older people living in NSW who have experienced housing stress or homelessness, to help us tell the NSW Government what's needed for older people. If you are an older renter, someone living in retirement housing, or someone experiencing housing stress aged over 50 years old, you might be interested in joining this group. It meets every two months online. Contact Dini.liyanarachchi@oldertenants.org.au if you are interested in finding out more. 

Action Updates

Investigation into Minimum Energy Efficiency Rental Standards Consultation Paper

Older people are disproportionately affected by extreme weather events such as heatwaves. The prohibitive costs of electricity or gas results in older people not using heating in winter or risking their health in summer as they are unable to make their homes energy efficient. The vast majority of non-homeowners have little control over improvements that make the biggest difference to costs, such as insulation, solar or other energy efficient fixed appliances.

The NSW Ageing on the Edge Forum recommends the NSW Government implement Energy Efficiency Rental Standards across NSW urgently, with a focus on prioritising households that are at higher risk of harm such as older people who are vulnerable to extreme weather events, and incorporate mechanisms to ensure older renters are consulted throughout the process including implementation.

Read the submission here

Submission to Audit Office of NSW Social Housing Review

Our submission draws on the lived experiences of older people applying for, and living in, social housing in NSW. We recommend that trauma informed approaches are taken with everyone applying for social housing and that older people are treated with dignity and respect, and highlight the need for a specialist older persons’ housing information and support service to support older people to navigate the social housing system and establish tenancies.

Read our submission

Submission to NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025 - 2035

HAAG welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the NSW Draft Homelessness Strategy 2025 – 2035. We especially acknowledge the contributions to this submission made by members of HAAG’s advisory groups including NSW Lived Experience Acton Group (LEAG), National Alliance of Seniors for Housing (NASH), Retirement Accommodation Action Group (RAAG), LGBTQIA+ reference group and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) reference group.

Ageing on the Edge NSW Pre-Budget Submission 2025-26

The NSW Ageing on the Edge Pre-Budget Submission provides proposals to address the housing crisis for older people in NSW who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. We call on the NSW government to: fund a specialist older persons’ housing information and support service that comprises both an early intervention and crisis response; lower the priority age for social housing eligibility from 80 years as a matter of urgency; and build 5,000 social homes per year for 10 years, 20% of which should be dedicated to older people.

Read the NSW Ageing on the Edge Pre-Budget Submission

 

 

Submission to NSW Residential Tenancies Amendment (Prohibiting No Grounds Evictions) Bill 2024

Currently, the private rental sector does not provide security of tenure, affordability or accessibility for older low-income households. For renting in retirement to be as secure as home ownership, it requires proper regulation and legislative reform to enable older people to age in place, in the communities that they are familiar with and close to their social networks.

Read our submission here

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