Demand for Social Housing for Older Australians Set to Double
1 July 2011 at 3:46 pm
With Australians aged 55 and over making up almost 20% of the nation’s homeless people, the demand for social housing for older Australians is expected to double by 2028, according to the Federal Government.
Speaking at the launch of Parity, Preventing Elderly Homelessness, a publication of the Council to Homeless Persons, Parliamentary Secretary Senator Jacinta Collins says Australia’s changing demographics and how to meet housing needs for a rapidly ageing population are key issues for the Government and Community to address.
Senator Collins says Australia’s ageing population means the number of older people at risk of homelessness is expected to rise of the next ten years.
She says the latest edition of Parity will give government, not for profit organisations and the community a better understanding of these issues.
Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness Mark Arbib says demand for social housing for older Australians was expected to double by 2028.
Minister Arbib says the Government is investing more than $20 billion in social and affordable housing measures, including the $5.6 billion Social Housing Initiative which will help low income Australians who are homeless or struggling in the private rental market.
Arbib says about 4000 new houses will be built as part of the Social Housing Initiative specifically for people over 55.
