The unexpected issue facing more older Australians

It is the last thing you would expect you would have to worry about as you get older.

Being homeless. 

But according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics,  14,851 people aged 55 and over were homeless on Census night in 2011.

And it is a worrying thought that the numbers are only increasing as times get tougher.

Common causes for older people being at risk of homelessness include lack of affordable housing, being unable to find work and loss of a partner or leaving a violent situation.

Australia wide statistics say on any given night one in 200 people are homeless.

It is an increasing issue for women too, as they can be forced out of the workforce early or have limited superannuation and savings.

So where do people go when they find themselves homeless?

Shelters, cars, the couch in friends places; anywhere there is a potentially safe place is an option, but not necessarily a legal one.

An elderly homeless man has faced court this week for trespassing after finding refuge under a vacant home in Gladstone.

The Gladstone Observer reported the 59-year-old had been sleeping on his own mattress, on the ground level of a built-up house in the Central Queensland town for a number of weeks.

During court proceedings police prosecutor Gavin Reece said the homeowner found the man’s belongings when checking the property, and moved the man’s belongings to the front of the property, with a note asking him to leave.

The man was still there when police arrived that night and he was charged and taken to the watch house as he had nowhere else to go.

The Observer reported the duty lawyer said the man decided to wait until morning because it was raining.

He had taken good care of the property while he stayed there, even sweeping the lower level and tending to the garden.

Previously he had been sleeping in a van, following a relationship breakdown, but he had lost access to the van too.

What can we, as everyday Australian’s, do to help reduce these homeless statistics?