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Older women the new face of homelessness
Older women have emerged as one of the most vulnerable groups in relation to housing insecurity and homelessness in Australia in recent years. They are not a group that is historically associated with homelessness and indeed, many older women have never been homeless before.
2019
Themes:
Housing Options for our Ageing Population
The Irish Government's objectives in this Policy Statement 'Housing for an Ageing Population' focus on six principles:
- Ageing in Place
- Supporting Urban Renewal
- Promoting Sustainable Lifetime Housing
- Using Assistive Technology
- Staying Socially Connected
- Working Together
2019
Homelessness grows for older women aged 55+
The Women’s Electoral Lobby has called on Commonwealth and State governments to respond Australia’s homelessness crisis for women, who are often invisible and amongst the poorest and most vulnerable of those experiencing homelessness. Older women aged 55 and over are the fastest growing cohort of homeless people, with numbers increasing by 31% between 2011 and 2016.
2019
Themes:
Dignity and choice: An inclusive future for our ageing population
Around the world, advanced economies are grappling with the challenges of an ageing population. Despite this, city shaping decisions are often made without sufficient consideration of how cities will change over the coming decades.
2019
Learning from past mistakes: lessons from the National Rental Affordability Scheme
All Australians are spending more of their incomes on housing than in the past, but low-income households are feeling the pinch most.
Many low-income renters are in poverty, and many more are suffering financial stress. Inequality is increasing because rising housing costs have disproportionately whittled away the income growth of poorer households.
2019
Housing in an ageing Australia: Nest and nest egg?
This brief is in three parts. Part one tackles the dynamics of the housing purchase in working life, describing the patterns of housing tenure across generations, demographic and market dynamics, the likely future effects of demography on housing demand, and the policies that can affect home purchase outcomes, particularly taxes.
2019
Rental Affordability Index 2019
Rental affordability for single pensioners is alarmingly poor. Across
the nation, the single pensioner household is facing Severely
Unaffordable and Extremely Unaffordable rents.
2019
Themes:
Mortgage stress and precarious home ownership: implications for older Australians
This research investigated the growing numbers of middle aged and older Australians who are carrying mortgage debt into retirement and paying off higher levels of debt relative to house values and income. Between 1987 and 2015, mortgage debt among older mortgagors increased by 600 per cent (from $27,000 to over $185,000).
2019
The Forgotten Women - fastest growing homeless population
This presentation looks at the reasons why women aged 55+ are the fastest growing cohort to experience, or be at risk of, homelessness.
(National Housing Conference 2019, Darwin)
2019
Themes:
The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness: Could Housing Solutions Be Funded by Avoidance of Excess Shelter, Hospital, and Nursing Home Costs?
This report summarizes a multi-site study in three localities – Boston, New York City, and Los Angeles County – of the anticipated future of the aged homeless population, its likely impacts on health and shelter systems and resulting costs, and the potential for housing solutions.
Specifically, this report summarizes the following analyses:
- Forecasts of the size of the aged homeless population
2019


"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."