THE GROWING COHORT: HOMELESSNESS AND OLDER WOMEN IN GIPPSLAND
A GROWING CONCERN
Women over 55 are Australia's “fastest growing cohort” of homeless people.
They have less money saved for retirement than men, with half of all women in Australia aged 45 to 59 having $8,000 or less in their superannuation funds, compared to $31,000 for men, and the average superannuation payout for women being just a third of the average for men - $37,000 compared with $110, 000.
There are several support services in Gippsland to assist people experiencing homelessness, however many of these services have long waiting lists due to a lack of housing.
Emma Dobson, manager at Quantum Support Services
Quantum Support Services manager Emma Dobson worked in adult homelessness for some time when she started with the organisation.
Quantum Support Services is a Gippsland-based housing support service that advocates for and assists those experiencing housing insecurity.
Ms Dobson said older women could become homeless for various reasons, including the death of a partner, separation from a partner and increased private rental housing prices they cannot afford.
“Quantum is seeing an increasing demand with older women seeking support with homelessness,” she said.
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“Often there can be bills or mortgages that have been in the partner's name, which leaves a woman with not much credit rating… sometimes women have been renting, the property has sold, and their ability to get another private rental is really limited,” Ms Dobson explained.
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In Gippsland, the median rental price for new listings in Gippsland has skyrocketed. The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing released new rental data in June 2022, revealing that a one-bedroom flat in Regional Victoria now costs $250 a week (a 10.9 per cent annual increase), a two-bedroom flat costs $320 (a 10.8 per cent annual increase), and a two-bedroom house costs $350 (a 9.6 per cent annual increase).
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The same data set also revealed that just 7.9 per cent of one or two-bedroom rental properties in Regional Victoria are considered “affordable rentals” for a single person on an age or disability pension.
Affordable rentals are classified by the Victorian Government as “housing, including social housing, that is appropriate for the needs of very low-, low- and moderate-income households.”
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Ms Dobson said even two-bedroom properties that may be more available “very quickly become unaffordable” for women.
Other temporary housing options like staying with friends or family and boarding house accommodation are not ideal for single older women.
Ms Dobson said once women access support through Quantum, staff can support them in developing linkages back into the community and finding longer-term accommodation.
The total number of dwellings in Gippsland that cater to women over 55 who are experiencing homelessness is not known.
However, in 2020 there were only three long-term public housing dwellings for singles under 55 years old from Bairnsdale to the NSW border, according to the Gippsland Homelessness Network’s submission to the 2021 Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Homelessness.
