Policy

Supporting older lower income tenants in the private rental sector

Retired lower income households living in the private rental sector face rent increases and insecure tenure while being on low fixed incomes. They also live in housing that may not be physically suitable for them and may require alterations to make the premises liveable. The policy options presented here focus on assisting older lower income tenants.
2019

Improving the outcomes for older women at risk of homelessness

Older single women are the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness in Australia. Why is this?
2019

Older renters doing it tough – what’s the answer?

Australia has the highest rate of seniors rental poverty in the OECD. 15% of older Australians don’t own or are paying off their own home. Rental costs have increased significantly over the past 10 years. While rents increased 29 per cent over that period, the Commonwealth Rental Allowance increased by only 23 per cent.
2019

Vulnerable Private Renters: Evidence and Options

Australia’s private rental market has worked well for most people, most of the time. However, this masks a deterioration in overall housing affordability for vulnerable renters. With vulnerable renters — those who are experiencing social and economic disadvantage — the story is more nuanced.
2019

Older Women’s Risk of Homelessness: Background Paper

The number of older homeless women in Australia increased by over 30% between 2011 and 2016 to nearly 7,000. We have an ageing population, a high cost of housing, and a significant gap in wealth accumulation between men and women across their lifetimes. Without innovative solutions this problem will continue to increase.
2019

Affordable housing: who needs it and why

There is a growing shortfall of affordable housing in Australia. The delivery of affordable housing in Australia is in desperate need of a shakeup. This is an interview with UNSW City Futures Research Fellow Dr Laurence Troy, which provides an explanation of the current situation in Australia.
2019

Inquiry into decent and accessible homes for older people

The All-Party Parliamentary Group was established to engage with the political and legislative issues affecting people in later life.
2019

Mutual Appreciation: A Social Innovation Think Piece

A triple threat is looming in relation to ageing in Australia, one with particular implications for women. While access to secure and affordable housing can mean the difference between poverty and a decent life in older age, full home ownership in Australia is increasingly a privilege. As we age, housing takes on particular significance.
2019

Tiny House Villages in Seattle: An Efficient Response to Our Homelessness Crisis

An article describing the success of Tiny House Villages in Seattle, which has led the country in piloting this response to the homelessness crisis. There are now 10 tiny house villages located throughout Seattle on government, private, nonprofit, and church-owned properties.
2019

Women and Housing Policy (APR 2019)

Women’s economic and other inequality creates disadvantage in accessing housing, including housing insecurity and homelessness. Women’s disadvantage occurs in the context of an Australian housing market characterised by a lack of affordable rental housing, together with tightly targeted social housing with long waiting lists. This has led to the emergence of a cohort of people on low incomes
2019
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