Parity Articles

Most older women experiencing homelessness have not been homeless before and have experienced ‘conventional’ housing histories throughout their life. This means they often
do not identify as being homeless or know where to turn for help. For this reason, the cohort of older women at risk of homelessness is often described as ‘invisible’.

HAAG, in partnership with Debbie Faulkner of the University of Adelaide (and now University of South Australia), has documented the homelessness trends of
older people in all states and territories over the last five years.

PDF icon Read the Parity Article by Gemma White, Kobi Maglen and Melis Cevik

National Alliance of Seniors for Housing, and Older Women Lost in Housing member Penny Leimhuis shares her experiences of homelessness.

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The public perception of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people is largely one of a young, affluent community. However, the reality is that within the LGBTI community, a large  share of LGBTI adults are older, of low-socioeconomic status and at risk of homelessness. LGBTI elders are more likely to live in poverty and experience homelessness, compared to the mainstream population due to both the complexity of their experiences and difficulty accessing services.

PDF icon Read the article by Rebecca Walton

Older woman’s home owning status in Australia has been inextricably linked to partnering with a male because historically, single women were denied home loans. A critical life event such as illness, unemployment or loss of partner can have enduring consequences for housing security. Women on average are paid 17 per cent less than men throughout their life course and have half the superannuation and savings on retirement, with 55 per cent of women 60 years and older having no superannuation at all. Casualisation, interrupted workforce participation and unpaid domestic and caring labour mean that women have less diverse assets and greater financial risk in later years.4 Family violence is the leading cause of homelessness
in women of all ages. Associated financial abuse has multiple impacts including damaged credit ratings and loss of the family home. Older women also have greater barriers to sustaining employment due to age and sex discrimination, and greater pressure to financially support adult children.

PDF icon Read the article by Frances Every and Leonie Bessant

Airbnb has changed the global rental scene, by increasing prices and removing properties from long- term rental. Areas such as coastal New South Wales, Southern Queensland and Tasmania that attract tourism but also have large permanent renting populations are experiencing housing pressure as a result. The Northern Rivers region of NSW is one such place.

PDF icon Read the article by Leonie Bessant

This paper describes some of HAAG’s work in this area, including a growing focus on ensuring culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) voices are part of our voice in the sector and the community more broadly.

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This article looks at the impact of the Victorian Government's Public Housing Redevelopment Program on older people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

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A summary of the changing Independent Living Unit sector, written by one of HAAG's retirement housing workers Fiona Waters

Read the report here

The Ageing on the Edge Older Persons Homelessness Prevention Project is a partnership between Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning (CHURP). Funded over five years by The Wicking Trust and with principal project leads Jeff Fiedler (HAAG) and Dr Debbie Faulkner (CHURP), the project is addressing the rapidly increasing problem facing large numbers of older people, the majority women, at risk of homelessness in Australia.

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Senator Doug Cameron launched the edition of Parity Magazine June 2018 titled "Older people and homelessness: What Works"

You can download his speech here

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