The Property Council’s Retirement Living Council believes its bid to allow people with lower incomes, including mature-age single women, to move into the safe environment of a retirement village, has been boosted by a new report.
Alternative housing models for precariously housed older Australians, released by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), identified seven housing models that best suited low income people aged over 55, including rental village-type housing.
“This is entirely consistent with our landmark report released last month that looks at what retirement living can do to help alleviate the housing pressures being felt by Australia's women over the age of 55 at risk of homelessness. The report offers government cost-effective and realistic recommendations that would open the door wider for these at-risk older women,” said the Retirement Living Council.
“There is an urgent need to support these women in 'the missing middle'. These are women that have done everything that society has asked of them, yet they are in housing limbo because they have too much money to qualify for social housing and too little money to buy a house.”
The Retirement Living Council Executive Director Ben Myers (pictured) is calling on the Federal Government to remove the $214,000 ingoing contribution price cap for villages, which limits government support to those that have assets of less than $214K.
It also wants:
- More retirement living properties eligible for Commonwealth Rental Assistance;
- Government-backed loans to help eligible people enter retirement communities;
- Early access to superannuation to help older women secure retirement living housing, and
- New incentives and grants to support innovative retirement living projects.
