Reports

No Place to Call Home: Older People at Risk of Homelessness in Victoria

Homelessness is a rapidly growing problem in Victoria. Between the 2006 and 2016 Census the number of people experiencing homelessness in Victoria increased from a rate of 35.3 per 10,000 population to 41.9 per 10,000 population. A desperate shortage of affordable housing and skyrocketing rents are driving more and more people, from diverse backgrounds, out of their homes and into homelessness.

Belying the old stereotypes of homeless people being “rough sleepers: with complex needs, the fastest growing cohorts of people becoming homeless are women and older people. For many homeless means couch sur ng, living in severe overcrowding,
and temporarily in rooming houses and emergency accommodation.

This report examines the cohort of older people, over 55 years old, who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. During the same period between 2006 and 2016, older persons homelessness grew by 58 per cent. Drawing on Census, as well as Specialist Homelessness Services data from across the state, this report examines the makeup of this growing and often hidden demographic of homeless people.

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‘I Just want secure, safe housing’ – Older people at risk of homelessness in Queensland

The patterns and circumstances of low income older non- homeowners identified in this report indicate that Queensland is no exception to the national trends on homelessness and the risk of homelessness for the older population. Overall homelessness in Queensland is rising and the older age groups are increasingly contributing to this growth. Unlike in other states where older people affected by homelessness and marginally housed are concentrated in the metropolitan capital, in Queensland greater numbers are found in regional Queensland.

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"One Rent Increase from Disaster" - Older renters living on the edge in Western Australia

The Ageing on the Edge Project reports on the situation facing older renters in Western Australia, and what can be done about it.

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Photos from the launch

Read Liz Lennons speech from the launch

The Seniors Housing Gateway - A safety net for older people at risk of homelessness

Australia needs to urgently address the rapidly increasing problem facing large numbers of older people, the majority women, at risk of homelessness. As a ‘new’ cohort with many specific factors such as age, gender, first time homelessness and economic disadvantage as the cause, there is a need for uniquely tailored early intervention strategies to prevent homelessness for this group to avoid later life complexities at great cost.

This proposal recommends the introduction of a national Seniors Housing Gateway (SHG) Program at a cost of $9.6 million to urgently respond to the rapid increase of vulnerable older people at risk of homelessness and assisting them to navigate their way to a housing solution.

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Out of the frying pan into the fire: The experiences of Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) clients referred to Independent Living Units (ILU) and general retirement information.

While there has been research into the experience of people living in ILUs (HAAG, 2016), there is limited knowledge of the experience of people attempting to gain access to them. It may be inferred however that access is problematic; waitlists are generally years in length, there area large numbers of low-income pensioners in the private rental market, and there are low numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) aged living in them (HAAG, 2016). Obtaining up to date and transparent information about ILUs and other retirement villages is also challenging. 

This report looks at whether HAAG clients who are given information about ILUs actually obtain housing in ILUs, and explores some of the structural reasons behind this. 

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Is the Victorian Housing Register providing transparency in the process for community housing offers that its introduction intended?

The purpose of this report is to ascertain whether or not the VHR is working as it intended in regards to the process of receiving community housing offers in the case of HAAG’s cohort of older people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. HAAG’s housing workers house approximately 7 people per month in social housing - an umbrella term to mean public housing which is owned by government, and community housing which is owned or managed by not for profit community housing providers. Our workers mainly utilise the VHR and use our contacts and networks within community housing providers to house our clients. In practice though, how many of our clients are being housed in community housing through each process? Has the VHR simplified it and made the process more transparent in relation to community housing providers and how they offer vacancies? This is something the introduction of the VHR aimed to address and this report will focus on.

See the full report here

HAAG State Election Strategy 2018

In November 2018, Victorians go to the polls.  An election provides the opportunity to show leadership about the issues that matter.We know that housing for older people has become a significant problem that needs to be addressed urgently by the Victorian State Government.

 

Retiring into Poverty- A National Plan for Change Report

Older single women are the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness and most of them have never been homeless before. This paper identifies the underlying systemic and compounding causes of older women’s homelessness, examines the devastating impact of gendered economic inequality and the key policy areas that require attention.

Agenda for Ageing in Victoria

Our organisation supports an Agenda for Ageing in Victoria that will guide practical and timely action to improve the quality of life for all Victorians as we age.

Read the Agenda

Homelessness for Older Aboriginal Women- Student Report

"There has been increasing awareness of the statistics of women aged 55 and over experiencing homelessness in Victoria and Australia more broadly. The 2014 report ‘Older Women’s Pathways Out of Homelessness in Australia’ found that women in this age group may have limited superannuation, minimal work experience and potentially inadequate financial literacy from time unemployed due to caring responsibilities and unpaid labour. Therefore many older single women may be living off welfare payments with minimal savings while renting in the unaffordable and unsustainable private rental market. The 2014 report states that older women are more likely to be the ‘invisible homeless’, both physically and statistically; more likely to couch surf, live in their car or at home under threat of violence than be sleeping rough.    This physical and statistical invisibility means that appropriate and specific services, support, referrals and housing are minimal. It also means on a policy level there is limited government understanding of what is needed to not only support older women out of homelessness, but prevent homelessness or housing instability occurring in the first place. "

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