Age Matters

02/08/2026

🏠 It's Homelessness Week. Let's make housing a priority.

Everyone deserves a safe, secure and affordable place to call home. Yet across Australia, homelessness continues to rise, while support services struggle to meet demand.

The facts are confronting:

📊 On any given night, 122,494 Australians are experiencing homelessness.
👧 One in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Almost one in four people experiencing homelessness are young people aged 12-24.
🖤 One in five people experiencing homelessness are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Homelessness services are at breaking point:

• In 2024-25, almost 289,000 people received support from specialist homelessness services.
• A further 129,000 people sought help but could not be assisted due to shortages of staff, accommodation and other services.
• That's 353 people every day being turned away.
• 80% of those turned away were women and children, many fleeing domestic and family violence.

Australia urgently needs more social housing.

✍️ Add your name to the petition and call on all MPs to commit to building the 640,000 social homes Australia desperately needs.

Together, we can help ensure everyone has a safe place to call home.

🔗 Sign the petition: https://everybodyshome.com.au/end-homelessness/

21/07/2026

What a pleasure it was to be interviewed by the incredible Nicky Sloan for the Community Matters podcast from Community Industry Group - Illawarra Forum.

In this conversation, we explore what Age Matters actually does, the challenges many older people in our community face, and the inspiring success stories that demonstrate the meaningful difference we're making every day.

Thank you to Nicky and the team for providing a platform to highlight the importance of supporting older people to live well, stay connected, and thrive.

🎧 Listen & watch here:
https://youtu.be/8QUFSmy_ojU?si=nw23d3izazP0KTu1

Growing Old Without a Home: Australia’s Hidden Housing Crisis with ...

20/07/2026

Unfortunately, this is a story we hear all too often.
Every year, we support hundreds of older people who are struggling with housing stress, insecure accommodation, or the very real prospect of homelessness. Rising housing costs, the lack of affordable and suitable accommodation options, the complexity of navigating the housing system, and broader cost-of-living pressures are having a profound impact on older people across our community.
What makes this story particularly important is that it features someone who, like many of the people we work with, is independent, responsible and never imagined they would find himself in this situation. Yet homelessness and housing insecurity can affect anyone, and for many older people it comes as a complete shock.
Sharing such a personal experience takes immense courage. We acknowledge the difficulty in speaking openly about his circumstances and helping to shine a light on an issue that is affecting an increasing number of older Australians.

15/07/2026

Moving house is hard at any age. Moving later in life can be even harder.

Most of us know that moving is one of life's most stressful events. When we're younger, we often have people we can lean on—friends helping carry boxes, family lending a hand with a bond, rent in advance, or a trailer for the weekend.

But for many older people, those supports simply aren't there.
When you're living on a fixed income, downsizing, or moving from a boarding house, temporary accommodation, or an informal rental arrangement, the challenges can quickly add up. There are applications to complete, belongings to sort through, difficult decisions about what can come with you, and often the cost of moving itself to consider.

Then there are all the practical tasks: changing addresses, updating identification, transferring utilities, managing online accounts, and navigating systems that increasingly rely on digital skills and internet access.

That's before considering whether a new home will actually be affordable to live in. Can it be heated and cooled efficiently? Will the appliances be affordable to run? Will it meet changing health and mobility needs as we age?

And all of this comes after the biggest challenge of all - finding affordable, appropriate housing in the first place.

At Age Matters, we're privileged to support people through these major life transitions. Sometimes, what makes the biggest difference is simply having someone in your corner - someone to help navigate the process when there isn't anyone else to call.
Moving later in life is a challenge that deserves more understanding and compassion. ❤️

11/06/2026

What would you do?
You’ve been renting the same place for 8 years. It’s not perfect, but it’s home. You know the neighbours. You’ve made it yours.
Then you get told you have to leave because they're selling the place.

Out of the blue - just a notice of termination and a date to be out.

You’ve heard people talk about a housing crisis, but you haven’t really had to think about it until now.

So you do what you’ve always done. You go down to the local real estate agents and have a look in the window. There are a few places, but the rent is already more than you can really manage on the Age Pension.

Still, you ask inside.

They’re kind enough. They don’t brush you off. But they explain that everything is done online now. You need to submit an application first, and if you’re shortlisted, then you might be able to inspect.

You tell them you don’t have email.

They pause, then say you’ll need one. And a mobile phone too, because they’ll send you a code to confirm your identity.

You don’t have a mobile phone either.

They explain the application - uploading ID, bank statements, rental history. It’s all done through a portal. It’s just “how it works now.”
You nod along, but you’re not really sure how you’re meant to do any of it.

You leave with the same information you walked in with, except now you realise something you hadn’t before -
it’s not just that you can’t afford most places.

It’s that you can’t even get into the process.

No email.
No mobile.
No way to apply.

You’ve managed your whole life without those things. Paid your rent. Kept a roof over your head.
And now, suddenly, that’s not enough.

So… what would you do?

10/03/2026

A big thank you to Carol Berry MP for for taking the time to meet with us and listen to the issues affecting older people in our local community.

Most days we’re focused on helping vulnerable and isolated older people navigate housing and aged care supports, so we don’t always get the chance to speak up and share their stories and the challenges they face.

It meant a lot that you made the time to hear more about the issues we presented and to better understand what many older people in our community are experiencing. We really appreciate your interest, your time, and your willingness to engage.