Shane and Fiona speak to Sabrina Clarke, project worker for Better Renting, about their newly released report into the heat and humidiity of rental properties across australia. We chat about what their research demonstrated and the need for better rental standards. Read the report and find out more on their website https://www.betterrenting.org.au/
The Gold Coast Homelessness Symposium is an event put on by the Gold Coast Homelessness network, an active group of service providers and individuals who are working towards solutions for the housing crisis in their region. In March 2024, organisers invited Fiona York as key note speaker at their symposium "Housing older Australians – Now and into the future", where she presented the data from HAAG's Ageing in a housing crisis report.
At the latest gathering of the Ageing on Edge NSW Coalition we heard from Alex Greenwich MP, Minister Rose Jackson and Rental Commissioner Trina Jones. The campaign is building support for our key targets of creating a specialist housing support service for older people, lowering the priority age for priority housing access from 80 years, and building more Public and Community housing.
HAAG supports the intention of the ACT Property Developers Bill, the consultative approach so far, and endorses the submission from CFMEU to this inquiry. As an organisation representing older people, including older renters, older people in retirement villages, residential parks and experiencing other housing challenges, we support measures to ensure older people’s rights are protected and they are empowered to exercise those rights. This Bill provides a vital opportunity to strengthen the protections for owner-occupiers as well as tenants. These protections should also be applicable universally to all types of property developments.
HAAG welcomes the provision in the Aged Care Bill Exposure Draft that the aged care system offers accessible, culturally appropriate, trauma-aware and healing-informed funded services.
We recommend that protections for diverse population be strengthened, that housing be recognised as a human right, and to fund specialist housing support services through the Care Finder program.
HAAG has delivered a set of policy asks on the Victorian Government in order to increase the supply of appropriate housing for older people who do not own their own homes, improve the lives of older people, support older people to navigate the housing system.
HAAG calls on the governement to respond to older people's specific needs by expanding the Home at Last service to be a state-wide service, increasing funding for tenancy advice for older people, increasing funding for early intervention and prevention, and funding the delivery of a service to assist older women to access a broader range of housing options including co-operative housing.
We also need to address the housin building 60,000 public and community housing dwellings, Increase overall funding for Housing First responses, increase funding to revitalise the Independent Living Units (ILU) Sector, legislate a definition of ‘affordable housing’ , establish an Ombudsman service to provider free, fair and binding determinations on retirement housing and social housing disputes, and re-establish and fund the role of the Commissioner for Senior Victorians.
Older People's Housing at the Victorian Homelessness Conference
28 Feb 2024
Shane and Fiona hear from speakers at the Victorian Homelessness Conference, held at Melbourne Town Hall late last year. Vera Considine talks about her experience of precarious housing as an older woman, and Peter Sibly talks about his plans for the Footscray Lions Village co-operative for older women.
The NSW Ageing on the Edge Forum is a coalition of about 150 organisational supporters and members. The members of the Forum are advocates for change, including older people with lived experience of homelessness, service providers, peak advocacy bodies and private sector organisations, working together to address housing and homelessness related issues of older people.
Ageing on the Edge Coalition endorses the submissions and the recommendations of Shelter NSW and COTA NSW to this consultation paper.
HAAG welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Treasury through the pre-budget submission process. This submission is based on our experience delivering housing and related support services to older people, research and lived experiences of older people experiencing housing stress or homelessness in Australia.
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."