The number of older women accessing homelessness services has increased by 63% in the last five years, with women over the age of 55 now the fastest growing cohort of homeless Australians.
Many of these women who are experiencing homelessness for the first time later in life have led “conventional” lives involving employment, residential stability and family. They experience homelessness after critical life events such as relationship breakdown, financial trouble, or the onset of illness. They have an element of financial insecurity, often because of a history of low paid or insecure work, they are unfamiliar with health and welfare systems, or they may have a reluctance to draw on existing social capital.
Whatever the reason, these are mothers, daughters and sisters that Australia needs to be doing more to support. We believe that retirement living is the key.
On 8 March, International Women’s Day, the Retirement Living Council will be delivering our solution to government. Offering a raft of policy recommendations that will lower barriers to women trying to access affordable accommodation in retirement villages. The stock is there, we can house these women, we just need government to take it seriously.
This will be marked by an active media campaign, government need to take this seriously.