HAAG has recently been informed that we have been successful in a funding submission to The Wicking Trust to conduct an Australia-wide Older Persons Homelessness Prevention Project. This work will be developed in partnership with the University of Adelaide Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning (CHURP) over a 5 year period. The project aims to build on the work HAAG has done in Victoria where we have fought for many years to improve housing conditions for older people, and have established Home at Last, our Housing Information and Support Service.

No other states in Australia have an organisation like HAAG, or comprehensive services such as Home at Last that can address the significant wave of older people who desperately need housing security in their retirement years, now and into the future. For example, we know that private rental housing in cities like Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth is mostly unaffordable, just like in Victoria, yet there are few specialist services available to address these concerns. This project will work to raise awareness of the housing problems facing older people right across the country. It will grow and assist older persons’ housing lobby groups, support the development of services, better integrate housing and aged care and promote better housing options in every state in Australia.

HAAG will provide the community development role in the project and CHURP, mainly through the involvement of Dr. Debbie Faulkner, will be responsible for conducting research to gather and build the evidence needed to encourage government action.

The Wicking Trust is supporting the project as it fits very well with one of the Trust’s priorities for its 2015 grant round – assisting people to stay at home longer; including innovative models for supporting housing stability for older Australians at risk of homelessness. HAAG and CHURP are sincerely grateful to The Wicking Trust for providing our organisations the opportunity to conduct this important work.

Current Manager of Education and Housing Advice, Jeff Fiedler, is leaving that position to take on the role as Project Manager.

For more information please contact Jeff on 9654 7389 or email jeff.fiedler@oldertenants.org.au