Do you think government needs to take more action to provide safe, secure and affordable housing? Do you want to take action on housing issues affecting older people? Do you have ideas about how housing services could better assist older people? Are you worried about the housing situation of the future? Join HAAG and get involved
The Federal Government has released a discussion paper for the 10-year National Housing and Homelessness Plan (NHHP) to be released in 2024. We have been calling for a national plan for many years, and see this as a good opportunity to achieve change. Submissions don’t have to be lengthy documents - simply describing your experiences and views will make a worthy submission. We’ve also prepared a guide to help write your submission, and respond to the key points for discussion.
HAAG is calling on the Victorian Government to
2. Improve protections for retirement housing residents, to make retirement housing a fairer and more affordable housing option.
3. Establish a housing ombudsman, with specific expertise in retirement housing and social housing, that provides free, fast, accessible and binding dispute resolution
4. Expand the successful Home at Last program across Victoria as part of an early intervention and prevention approach.
We encourage you to contact your local State representative to request meetings to talk about homelessness and housing issues of older people. Local members are interested in local concerns and with the right information, encouragement and clear recommendations, you can be a champion for older people and their housing issues.
HAAG is calling on the NSW Government to implement the recommedations of the Inquiry into Homelessness amongst Older People Aged Over 55 in NSW
Read our summary of the inquiry recommendations
There is real momentum for change to address homelessness and housing issues of older people in NSW. Our voices are powerful. People speaking out and asking decision makers for action can shift policy to improve housing outcomes for older people in the State.
We encourage you to contact your local State representative to request meetings to talk about homelessness and housing issues of older people. Local members are interested in local concerns and with the right information, encouragement and clear recommendations, you can be a champion for older people and their housing issues.
Following on from our successful election campaign which brought older people’s homelessness and housing stress to the fore as a major election issue, Housing for Aged Action Group is calling on the Labor government to do more to ensure that all older people have safe, secure and affordable homes.
These are the promises of the new goverment that must be fulfilled, along with further actions that must be taken to properly address the crisis.
Despite the change of government, more than 400,000 thousand older women remain at risk of homelessness, and this will not change without real commitment from the Federal Government to fund More Housing, More Income Support, and tackle inequality at a systemic level.
We are asking all our political representatives to understand the issue by taking minutes to watch this video, understand the housing and equality issues that cause so many older people to be at risk of homelessness, and ask us for more info.
The 'At Risk' forums in 2020 and 2021 were a clarion call for political action.
As we heard from Tanya Plibersek MP at the At Risk Forum in 2021:
"Email, write, phone, visit, tell your story, talk to MPs, be prepared to vote on it"
Now is the time to take action
HAAG is involved in many projects that seek to improve older peoples housing outcomes through better access, increased options and improved services. See all our projects and get involved
HAAG facilitate various meetings where groups of like-minded members work together to form policy submissions, recommendations and inform services working with older people. The lobbying of HAAG working groups has successfully created changes in government policy. Join a working group!
Members are the backbone of all the work HAAG does. By becoming a member you'll receive regular updates on how to get involved, and be invited to be part of decision making, working groups, and campaigns. Membership is FREE, and its the best way to support and get involved with HAAG. Join HAAG here
We often make submissions to Government inquiries and reviews, for example, Parliamentary Inquiries and reviews of legislation. Our submissions are always based on members stories, client data and case studies, and are often developed with our working groups, so by sharing your story or becoming a working group member you can really help! Read our latest submissions
The Victorian government is selling off 9 public housing sites and transfer the management of the public housing properties to private enterprise. This would increase the pool of public housing stock by just 1100 properties and would come at the cost of 9 parcels of prime land that can never again be used for public development. Where will the rest of the public housing we need be built when this land is gone?
On top of the sell-off, the proposal is to transfer the management of the public housing stock to the private sector. We have seen this privatisation slowly happen over the last 16 years. We know that it doesn’t work. Get involved in the campaign to Save Public Housing.
Are shocked by the revelations unscrupulous retirement housing operators exposed on Four Corners? Sadly, the issues raised are not new, but there is a way forward, and we need your help. Take action on Retirement Housing
HAAG values any media opportunity that raises awareness of housing issues. We have featured on national TV, have positions on local radio and have featured in various newspapers. We have also produced our own films. HAAG Clients and members are supported to tell their stories when media opportunities arise.
Housing for the Aged Action Group is a not for profit community group dedicated to improving housing outcomes for older people. As the only organisation of its kind in Australia and with over 30 years experience taking action, HAAG is the voice on housing for older people.
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."
- Jane Austen
Authorized by Fiona York, Housing for the Aged Action Group 247 Flinders Lane Melbourne 3000