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

Victorian Local Government Elections 2024

Local Councils elections are being held in every Victorian Local Government area except Moira Shire. This is your chance to raise awareness of the housing crisis for older people to your local candidates. 

Download our Local Government Pledge here

Template letter to request candidates to sign the pledge

Queensland State Election 2024

Queenslanders are going to the polls in October 2024. HAAG’s recent research has found that over the last ten years, the housing circumstances for older Queenslanders is getting worse. Now is a great time to be talking about the need for more action on housing for older Queenslanders! 

We are asking decision-makers to:

  • Increase public and community housing stock across the state with 20% ringfenced for older people over 55 years.
  • Increase ‘affordable housing’ that’s capped at 30% of the household income for older people on low incomes who are not eligible for public and community housing.
  • Fund other below market rate housing options for older people including co-operative housing, low-cost retirement housing and other co-housing models.
  • Embed voices of older people with lived experience and expertise into all government policy making processes.
  • Increase funding and geographic spread of Housing Older Women Support Service (HOWSS).

Read our policy recommendations, download a guide to meeting with candidates and MP's and use our template letter to request a meeting!

Federal Election 2025 

We are asking our Federal politicians to fix housing for older people.

Read our policy asks here.

See our Older Person's Round Table in Canberra here 

Fixing Housing for Older People in Victoria

HAAG is calling on the Victorian Government to

Increase the supply of appropriate housing for older people who do not own their own homes by:

  •  Building 60,000 public and community housing dwellings by 2030

  • Legistlating a definition of 'affordable housing

  • Supporting the development of housing options for older people who are ineligible for public and community housing

Improve the lives of older people by:

  • Establishing a Retirement and Social Housing Ombudsman service
  • Reforming the Retirement Villages Act and the Residential Tenancies Act
  • Implementing mandatory training for managers of retirement housing
  • Provide additional specialist support for older tenants in public housing scheduled for redevelopment.

Support older people to navigate the housing system by:

  • Increasing funding for early intervention and prevention
  • Increasing funding for tenancy advice for older people

Read our policy asks
 

New South Wales Election 2023

HAAG is calling on the NSW Government to implement the recommedations of the Inquiry into Homelessness amongst Older People Aged Over 55 in NSW

  1. Funding a specialist older person’s housing information and support service that comprises both an early intervention and crisis response, similar to the HAAG ‘Home at Last’ model in Victoria.
  2. Lowering the priority age for social housing eligibility from 80 years as a matter of urgency.
  3. Building 5,000 social and affordable homes per year for 10 years, at least 20% of which should be dedicated to older people.

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.

Read our Advocacy Toolkit

Our demands of the Federal Government

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.

At Risk Forum

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

Our Submissions

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

Projects

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

Working Groups

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!

Become a Member

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

Public housing campaigning

All of HAAG's submissions to government include increasing public housing. Read more about some of our campaign work to increase, protect and improve public housing. 

Retirement Housing Campaigning

Read about our work in trying to improve legislation, regulation and enforcement to improve the lives of older people living in retirement housing - this includes residential parks, caravan parks and retirement villages.

Media

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.

More About  HAAG

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 40 years experience taking action, HAAG is the voice on housing for older people.

For more information on Campaigning, Policy and Research
Phone: 03 9654 7389 - Interpreters available
Email: haag@oldertenants.org.au