Other countries’ policy initiatives to meet the housing needs of asset-poor older persons

External PersonnelRachel Ong ViforJ
Research PartnersRMIT University
Project FundingAustralian Housing and Urban Research Institute
Project StatusComplete

Project Summary

This study will conduct a systematic review of the international academic literature and policy documents concerning initiatives to meet the housing needs of asset-poor older citizens. The purpose of this comparative review is to identify whether overseas experiences are applicable in the Australian context. We will also use secondary data from the Housing and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to document the size of this group of older Australians and the scale of their likely needs for housing assistance. These needs will then be explored in more depth using  qualitative techniques.

Project Outputs

Housing older Australians: Loss of homeownership and pathways into housing assistance Rachel Ong ViforJ, Gavin Wood, Val Colic-Peisker In Australia and other ‘homeownership societies’ it has been conventional to think of housing pathways in terms of a smooth linear progression, leading to outright ownership in middle age and a retirement buffered by low housing costs. This vision of... Read article Publication1 December 2015Journal Articles Read More
Asset poverty, precarious housing and ontological security in older age: an Australian case study Val Colic-Peisker, Rachel Ong ViforJ, Gavin Wood Over two-thirds of Australians are owner-occupiers and a majority of the population holds most of their wealth in housing. Australian taxation privileges homeowners and retirement income policy is built around the assumption that state pensions can be kept low because... Read article Publication13 December 2014Journal Articles Read More
Asset poverty and older Australians’ transitions onto housing assistance programs Gavin Wood, Val Colic-Peisker, Mike Berry, Rachel Ong ViforJ This project aims to explore how the asset-poor status of older Australians helps to determine their demand for housing assistance, the coping strategies used by the asset-poor as they strive to secure satisfactory housing outcomes and the importance of these... Read article Publication30 November 2010Research Reports Read More
Housing needs of asset-poor older Australians: other countries’ policy initiatives and their implications for Australia Gavin Wood, Val Colic-Peisker, Rachel Ong ViforJ, Naomi Bailey, Mike Berry This Positioning Paper is the first output of a project that explores housing options and actual housing circumstances of asset-poor older Australians. Australia has very high levels of outright ownership among its pensioners. However, this is threatened by falling levels... Read article PublicationResearch Reports Read More