The highest increase in demand will
probably come from Australians age 85 or
older. Image: iStockphoto.

Demand for public housing from people aged over 65 is expected to increase by 50 per cent in the 10 years to 2016, bringing many challenges for public housing providers.

According to the final report on older people in public housing by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) Swinburne-Monash Research Centre, public housing will need to provide an additional 4391 dwellings for older people nationally each year to 2016 to match current levels of demand.

The highest increase in demand will come from the 85 plus age group.

More than 100 000 older Australians (those aged over 60) are in housing stress. And with Australia’s increasingly ageing population, the situation is expected to worsen.

Increased rents in the private rental sector and the anticipated demise of one significant social housing option for older people – independent living units managed by aged-care organisations – will compound these challenges.

Sean McNelis, research fellow with Swinburne’s Institute for Social Research and the report’s principal author, said the lives of some older people – those previously living in private rental accommodation – are positively transformed through public housing, which they regard as an affordable housing option.

“Older people love their public housing and the feeling of community within their complex of units,” Mr McNelis said. “They like that their public-housing complex only houses older people, its convenience to shops, amenities and transport, and that maintenance and modifications are done when needed.”

The authors interviewed 38 older public-housing tenants as part of the research on issues facing public-housing providers.

But the report also warned that some public-housing stock, because of its location, poor condition, quality and small size, will soon become unacceptable to older people. Further, the demand for ground-floor and modified dwellings by older tenants wanting to age-in-place will increase.

McNelis said mounting evidence from a series of AHURI reports on older people points to an urgent need for major new investment in social housing to meet the housing needs of older people with low incomes and few assets.

“Older people are no longer restricted to aged-specific public housing. Rather, with their children leaving home, people are ageing-in-place in what were public-housing family homes.”

The report revealed that the key concern of older people with regard to housing is their quality of life. They expect more of public housing than just a place to live.

“A key challenge for public-housing providers and for the Australian, state and territory governments is to expand the role for public housing from one that simply provides accommodation to a role in which housing for older people opens up opportunities for social networking and participation in a range of social, cultural and political activities,” McNelis said.