In the lead up to the next Federal Election which will be called in 2025, there is real momentum for change to address older person's homelessness across the country. Our voices are powerful and the housing crisis gripping Australia will be a key election issue.
We encourage you to contact your local federal representative and other local candidates to request meetings to talk about the issue of older person's homelessness and what needs to change. Local members are often keen to meet their constituents, especially when there is an upcoming election. They are interested in local concerns and with the right information, encouragement and clear recommendations, you can be a champion for older people and their housing issues.
Our joint submission alongside a wide range of community and legal organisations calls on the inquiry to recognise these shared principles, respecting the rights of Public Housing tower residents!
HAAGs submission to this Victorian Parliament inquiry draws on the experiences HAAG hears about the serious lack of homes for older people in regional Victoria. We call for a range of measures to ensure older people in regional Victoria have secure and appropriate housing, including: increasing public and community housing to 10% of all housing stock by 2040; that the Victorian government invest in HAAG’s Home at Last Service to ensure older people across all regional Victoria can receive housing advice and support; and that housing meet accessibility standards to enable people to age in place.
Our submission draws on the lived experiences of older people applying for, and living in, social housing in NSW. We recommend that trauma informed approaches are taken with everyone applying for social housing and that older people are treated with dignity and respect, and highlight the need for a specialist older persons’ housing information and support service to support older people to navigate the social housing system and establish tenancies.
Shane and Fiona talk about the upcoming Federal Election and what HAAG is asking of our Federal candidates. We conclude with ways that you can get involvedTo find out more go to https://www.oldertenants.org.au/federal-election-campaigning
Housing stress, insecurity and homelessness are integrally linked to the abuse and mistreatment of older people, and the current housing crisis has exacerbated this. Without access to a safe, secure, affordable home of their own older people can find themselves living in situations – with adult children, relatives, or strangers – where elder abuse is more likely to occur. When elder abuse does occur, a lack of alternative housing options means it is difficult to for older people to escape that abuse.
HAAG welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the NSW Draft Homelessness Strategy 2025 – 2035. We especially acknowledge the contributions to this submission made by members of HAAG’s advisory groups including NSW Lived Experience Acton Group (LEAG), National Alliance of Seniors for Housing (NASH), Retirement Accommodation Action Group (RAAG), LGBTQIA+ reference group and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) reference group.
Extreme heat and housing justice
5 Feb 2025
Shane and Fiona talk to Sophie from Sweltering Cities on the occasion of the first Extreme Heat Awareness Day. Then we hear from HAAG member Vanessa about her experiences dealing with heat as a public housing renter.
Lew Wheeler and Ann Davies from the Fight Against Inequality Network join us to talk about their new organisation aiming to connect people and organisations in the fight against inequality, particularly the widening gap between rich and poor in this country. See their website https://fainetwork.com/
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."