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400,000 women over 45 are at risk of homelessness in Australia
Older women have been recognised as the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia in recent years. Yet until now we have not known exactly how many older women are at risk of homelessness.
Older people are generally considered to be at less risk of homelessness because of their higher rates of home ownership.
2020
Themes:
Submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety: Aged care program redesign
In this submission, CPSA responds to some of the questions posed in the Royal Commission’s Consultation Paper 1.
2020
Themes:
Understanding and reimagining social housing pathways
This study explores the ways households experience pathways into, within and out of the Australian social housing system.
2020
‘Uprooting, no matter how small a plant you are, is a trauma’: older women renters are struggling
Older women renters are struggling in an insecure and unaffordable rental housing market. A combination of high rents and low incomes leaves many living in substandard housing and unable to afford necessities like food and energy bills.
Rrent increases further stress household budgets, and evictions magnify these risks. COVID-19 makes the need for reform even more urgent.
2020
Themes:
Older and poorer: Retirement Income Review can’t ignore the changing role of home
The assumption that retired people have minimal housing costs underpins the settings of our retirement incomes system. But the real state of housing for older Australians today makes it critical for the Retirement Incomes Review to look at the evidence that now challenges this assumption.
2020
Housing Insecurity and Older People in NSW
Outlining the recommendations made to the NSW Government, including: housing and older people and insecure housing and older people. This is a live document that will be updated as legislative changes are made.
2020
Themes:
'Meanwhile use' properties offer potential as a short-term solution to social housing needs
A vacant Sydney nursing home awaiting redevelopment has been lent to a women's shelter, with experts claiming examples like this could offer a short-term solution to Australia's lack of public housing. It is designed to bridge the gap between crisis accommodation and permanent living.
2019
Themes:
Rental Housing for an Ageing Population
In our latest Inquiry, we have turned our attention to rental housing for older people, both now and in the decades to come. We wanted to find out how many homes for rent are likely to be needed over the next 20 years or so, what they should be like and who might provide them.
Today only 22% of those over 65 are tenants (private or social). But this will change.
2019
Themes:
Women over 55 are Australia's fastest growing group of homeless
An introduction service for flatmates, converting family homes into partly self-contained apartments and building community-funded homeless shelters are among new attempts to help older Australian women find secure housing.
Women over 55 are the fastest growing group of homeless people in Australia, though men and younger people are much more likely to be homeless, 2016 census data shows.
2019
Why more older Australians are living in shared housing
An increasing number of older Australians are living in share housing. A relatively new group to emerge on the share-housing scene, they are choosing to share for financial reasons, but finding unexpected social benefits.
Share housing across all age groups shows it’s mainly driven by financial constraints. In older age, the experience of this is gendered.
2019
Themes:


"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."