Housing for the Aged Action Group calls the government’s Retirement Villages Act Amendments Bill, released today after a five-year consultation period, a “mixed bag” that includes important improvements for residents but leaves some major areas of concern inadequately addressed.
More than half a million Australians aged 55 or over are at risk of falling through the cracks, according to a new Swinburne report launched today, that shows they are neither poor enough to qualify for effective and accessible housing assistance nor wealthy enough to secure housing independently as they age.
This World Homeless Day, the Victorian Public Tenants Association (VPTA) is calling on the state government to urgently address the social housing crisis by committing to the delivery of at least 60,000 new social housing homes, a strong proportion of which must be public housing homes, over the next decade.
A series of stories published by the ABC this week highlighted unfair fees, confusing contracts and poor treatment of residents living in retirement villages. Government must act now to protect retirement village residents from exploitation and eviction.
Improving housing options and preventing homelessness for a growing number of older people at risk of or experiencing homelessness as they age will be discussed today when Ministers, housing experts and people with lived experience of the housing crisis come together at Victorian parliament.
Housing for the Aged Action Group will be able to support more older people struggling with high rents thanks to a new $7.8 million funding initiative included in the latest Victorian Budget!
The Victorian Government’s Housing Statement fails to take the steps necessary to address the housing crisis facing more than 180,000 older Victorians and contains too little investment in public housing, according to Housing for the Aged Action Group.
The rate of JobSeeker needs to be increased for all recipients, not just some. While we welcome the Federal Government’s acknowledgement of the ageism that places additional pressure on older workers, leaving under 55s languishing well below the poverty line is not the way forward.
Seven New South Wales independent candidates and MPs are calling on the incoming state government to address homelessness among older people by introducing a specialist housing support service for older people, lowering the priority age from 80 years, and building more social and affordable housing.
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."
