Housing plan needed for senior Australians

Housing plan needed for senior AustraliansA national strategy for housing affordability is urgently needed, following the release of Anglicare’s latest rental affordability snapshot.The 2015 Anglicare Australia Rental Affordability Snapshot finds that affordable housing is out of reach for people living on low incomes. Of the more than 65,0 properties assessed by Anglicare for suitability, less than one per cent were available for people living on allowances. According to the Property Council’s executive director Retirement, Mary Wood, the report confirms the need for a federal plan to assist Australian pensioners in the housing market.”Around 20 per cent of senior Australians are renters. The evidence that just 3.4 per cent of rental properties would be affordable for age pensioners is alarming,” Wood says.”Supply of affordable and age appropriate accommodation is a growing problem – more seniors are relying upon our governments to work together to improve supply for older Australians as well as for young people.”Anglicare Australia’s report singled out older single women as particularly at risk in the affordable housing shortage, and highlighted the need for more housing stock that was designed and modified for the needs of older people and those with disability.”The Productivity Commission recommended in 2011 that the consistency of state retirement village regulation be improved – this is one of the many ways that investment dollars can be leveraged into affordable housing for pensioners, and supply increased,” Wood says.The Property Council has welcomed the Australian Government’s recent decision to establish a housing affordability working group, which is to be chaired by Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas.The Property Council has developed a five-point plan for housing affordability, and will continue to advocate for a national strategy.