MEDIA RELEASE
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

AGENCIES UNITE TO END ELDER-HOMELESSNESS
Wednesday 16^th November 2016

MELBOURNE: Nine leading community agencies will launch a report on Thursday that calls for the Victorian Government to develop an Older Persons Housing Strategy. The report “A Home for Life: Towards an Older Person’s Housing strategy” calls on government to partner with community organisations and adopt recommendations to address the long term housing needs for older people.

Neither the Victorian nor Australian Government has a strategy in place to address the housing needs of its older population despite some concerning facts:

• Secure housing is the number one indicator of wellbeing for older Australians
• Rate of home ownership amongst older Australians decreased to 60.5% (2011) from 63.8% in 2006
• 44% increase in older Australians in private rental, paying 65% of their income to rent
• Number of homeless older Australians has increased by 20% between 2006 and 2011

The Commissioner for Senior Victorians, Gerard Mansour will launch the report at:

 12:15pm on Thursday 17^th November, Level 4 Ross House, 247 Flinders lane Melbourne.

Event hosts and coalition leaders Housing for the Aged Action Group will present former client Joan Lansbury to speak of her personal experience with homelessness.

Coalition members and industry leaders Council of the Aged (COTA), Fair Go for Pensioners, Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, Wintringham, Carers Victoria and the Australian Universal Housing Design Network will also be sharing their expert views on what must be done to ensure our older Australians and future generations can age comfortably with dignity and joy.

“People our age 80 years plus are unemployable and dependent on the Age Pension. There’s not enough affordable rental and not enough choices in affordable houses - we can’t afford to buy a house in inner suburbs close to health centres and public transport”

-Feedback from participant at A Home to Age Well, HAAG-COTA forum, April 2016

Fiona York, Co-Manager of Housing for the Aged Action Group warns that Housing affordability is not a problem that just affects younger people, “With an ageing population that are less likely than ever to own their home in retirement we need to take the needs of this cohort seriously. The costs of providing services to homeless older people far exceed those of enacting the recommendations of this report, not to mention the emotional advantages”.

Photos and a copy of the repot are available on request.

-ends-

For further information contact: Fiona York, Manager, Housing for the Aged Action Group 03 9654 7389 fiona.york@oldertenants.org.au

Housing for the Aged Action Group is a not for profit community group dedicated to improving housing outcomes for older people through service provision and policy development.