Publications

The Ageing on the Edge Older Persons Homelessness Prevention Project is a partnership between Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning (CHURP). Funded over five years by The Wicking Trust and with principal project leads Jeff Fiedler (HAAG) and Dr Debbie Faulkner (CHURP), the project is addressing the rapidly increasing problem facing large numbers of older people, the majority women, at risk of homelessness in Australia.

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Senator Doug Cameron launched the edition of Parity Magazine June 2018 titled "Older people and homelessness: What Works"

You can download his speech here

HAAG published several articles as part of the June 2018 edition of Parity Journal.

• Ageing on the Edge Older Persons Homelessness Prevention Project. Jeff Fiedler and Debbie Fawkner
• Public Housing Redevelopments Impact Older Persons’ Health and Wellbeing Tegan Leeder
• Housing Related Challenges for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Gemma White
• Independent Living Units: Underfunded and Misunderstood Fiona Waters

“Our members have been calling for an Ombudsman for the Retirement Housing industry for years,” said HAAG Chair Phyll Williams. “At the moment, older residents struggle to resolve disputes with their managers in quickly, cheaply and fairly. An ombudsman is sorely needed by many residents of retirement housing.” Ms Williams called on the Andrews government to match the LNP’s commitment. “Now that the Greens and the LNP have expressed support for an Ombudsman, its time for Labor to make it unanimous.  Proper protections for older Victorians should not be a partisan issue,” she said.

Home at Last, are appalled at the findings of the Inquiry into the Public Housing Renewal Program which revealed that the previous redevelopment in Kensington (a model for the current program) actually decreased the total number of Public and Community houses by 36% and the number of bedrooms by 54%, while selling off the public land for just 5% of its market value.

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Older Tenants' Voice,  Autumn Newsletter - March 2018
Special Cultural Diversity edition with translated material.

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Australian Housing Research Institue journal-Housing Works- has published an article on HAAG's national project, the report on NSW and Home at Last. Read it here

"There has been increasing awareness of the statistics of women aged 55 and over experiencing homelessness in Victoria and Australia more broadly. The 2014 report ‘Older Women’s Pathways Out of Homelessness in Australia’ found that women in this age group may have limited superannuation, minimal work experience and potentially inadequate financial literacy from time unemployed due to caring responsibilities and unpaid labour. Therefore many older single women may be living off welfare payments with minimal savings while renting in the unaffordable and unsustainable private rental market. The 2014 report states that older women are more likely to be the ‘invisible homeless’, both physically and statistically; more likely to couch surf, live in their car or at home under threat of violence than be sleeping rough.    This physical and statistical invisibility means that appropriate and specific services, support, referrals and housing are minimal. It also means on a policy level there is limited government understanding of what is needed to not only support older women out of homelessness, but prevent homelessness or housing instability occurring in the first place. "

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