Retirement Housing

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. 

For more of the report click here

Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) has welcomed proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (RTA) that bring stronger protection for older renters in caravan park and residential parks.  In recent years, hundreds of home owners across Victoria who thought they had security in retirement have found themselves suddenly facing homelessness as developers closed the parks in which they lived.  Under the proposed reforms, residents will be able to access compensation if their parks close down and they are forced to move.

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

Read the report here

HAAG published several articles as part of the June 2018 edition of Parity Journal.

• Ageing on the Edge Older Persons Homelessness Prevention Project. Jeff Fiedler and Debbie Fawkner
• Public Housing Redevelopments Impact Older Persons’ Health and Wellbeing Tegan Leeder
• Housing Related Challenges for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Gemma White
• Independent Living Units: Underfunded and Misunderstood Fiona Waters