Expert warns of ‘alarming’ rise in homelessness among seniors when NRAS winds down in December

GROWING number of Gold Coast women over the age of 55 face a bleak future on the streets when this change happens in December.

Homelessness is on the increase in women over the age of 55.

THE future looks bleak for the growing number of women over the age of 55 at risk of homelessness as experts warn the crisis will only get worse when the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) winds down in December.

Jason Cubit, chief executive of Horizon Housing – the largest provider of social and affordable housing in Queensland - said homelessness was an ‘alarming and very likely possibility for many seniors - more so than ever before’.

He said the demand for services is – and would continue to be - staggeringly high on the Gold Coast and Tweed, as well as other parts of the state. Sadly, he was seeing a growing number of older women in crisis.

“We receive more than 350 applications every month for NRAS properties and there are more than 1000 active applications at any one time,” he said.

About 16 per cent of Horizon properties are tenanted by people over the age of 55 and of these, 60 per cent rely on government assistance as their main source of income, with little money to spare by the end of the week.

Chief executive of Horizon Housing Jason Cubit. Picture: Jerad Williams

Mr Cubit said Horizon had more than 1170 properties on the Gold Coast and 15.6 per cent of all tenants were now women over the age of 55.

“Older women are particularly vulnerable to homelessness later in life and according to latest research by Mission Australia, contributing factors include low superannuation funds, financial dependence on the pension, and domestic and family violence,” he said.

“Couple this with yesterday’s norm of women spending significant time out of the workforce to raise families and we are left with more women who become susceptible to housing stress and homelessness with age.”

Mr Cubit said it was a ‘nationwide tragedy’ that the average superannuation of women at retirement was about half of men (46.6 per cent), according to a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

“A 2017 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows there has been a 52 per cent increase in older women (over the age of 55) contacting homeless agencies since 2011,” he said.

“Census data shows there has been a 30 per cent increase in people aged 55 and over experiencing homelessness and within this, older women were found to be most at risk.” Mr Cubit said stats showed that 34 per cent of single women over the age of 60 lived in permanent income poverty, compared with 27 per cent of single older, men and 24 per cent of couples.

He warned the situation would only get worse when the NRAS started winding down in December and he called on the Federal Government to make a strong commitment to invest in growing affordable housing stock and more financial assistance for pensioners.

Mona Nielsen, chairwoman of the Gold Coast Homelessness Network, said homelessness among the elderly had become a major issue.

“Every year, we put on a homelessness symposium and this year, the focus is on the ageing population,” she said.

“We chose that topic because we are identifying that there are more and more people aged 55 and over who are seeking support or they find themselves homeless,” she said.

She said homelessness in women was a growing problem and she also cited inadequate superannuation, relationship breakdown, a partner passing away and domestic violence as contributing factors.