Homeless at 60 – it can happen to anyone

Frightening research from the University of Queensland (UQ) reveals that more and more women over the age of 55 are falling into the homeless trap.

The Older Women’s Pathways out of Homelessness in Australia report, produced for the Mercy Foundation, examined the growing numbers of women facing homelessness later in life and also the rise in the number of women over 55 living in rental properties.

Government statistics show that one fifth of Australia’s homeless population is over the age of 55.

Homelessness Australia data has revealed that while older Australians make up roughly 17% of the total homeless population, just 5% of people supported by homeless services across Australia were from the older age group.

As these tables from the UQ study show, the numbers of homeless women aged 55 and over have risen quite substantially in the five years between the two Australian censuses (2006-2011), a worrying trend that is perhaps not being addressed as it should be.

One of the most common reasons for women ending up on the streets is a desperation to escape domestic violence. The study makes the point (backed up by research undertaken by various other organisations) that women from all backgrounds are vulnerable to housing insecurity and homelessness due to violence – meaning that women who find themselves on the street are not always from the lower socio-economic groups, and they are not all drug addicts, which are assumptions society often leaps to.

Reasons given in the report for the rise in the problem for women in particular make for interesting reading. They include the growth in women searching for – and finding – financial and personal independence, the decline of the “nuclear” family, the increase in single-parent households and people living longer generally, as well as growing problems with access to housing across Australia.

Further data from  Homelessness Australia shows that one in every two people who try to find accommodation through a homeless service will be turned away every night. When you consider that Census data (the most recent census was in 2011) shows that about 40% of homeless people are women, a picture starts to form of just how serious this situation is – and how little it registers on the radar. It’s acknowledged by experts in the field that while information on homelessness in the older demographic is growing, there are large gaps in our knowledge.

Surely it’s about time we took the time to look long and hard at this issue.

Data: Tables from Older Women’s Pathways out of Homelessness in Australia, UQ.

Do you have a story about homelessness to tell? Do you know of someone who found him- or herself at rock-bottom, or have you experienced the awful reality of being homeless for a period? Let us know your stories and thoughts in the comments below…