This submission focuses on the need for the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement Bill to acknowledge the dire circumstances facing an increasing ageing population that is facing a future of housing hardship due to successive government policies that have focused on private rental subsidies in Commonwealth Rent Assistance rather than much needed capital expenditure on public and community housing. This has created a long-term need for investment in public and community housing but also urgently put in place specialist early intervention homelessness support services to assist the thousands of older people experiencing hardship and at risk of homelessness in the private rental market.

The views in this submission are based on the work being conducted by the Ageing on the Edge – Older Persons Homelessness Prevention Project that is a partnership between Jeff Fiedler from Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and Dr Debbie Faulkner from the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning (CHURP). This five year project is funded by The Wicking Trust that aims to assist older people to stay at home longer and also supports housing stability for older Australians at risk of homelessness.

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