Supporting older renters to 'age-in-place'

Recently the Tenants’ Union of NSW made a submission to NSW Department of Communities and Justice as part of their consultations for the next NSW Government strategy for seniors.

A key focus of our submission was the importance of ‘ageing-in-place’. This is the basic principle that older people know what is best for their own lives and have the right to make decisions on their own behalf, and that many want - and should be supported - to remain living in a community to which they have a strong attachment, either in their existing residence or alternate local accommodation, with service supports.

One of our key recommendations in our submission is that the NSW Government both implement an explicit policy on ‘ageing-in-place’ and establish benchmarks against which wider Government policies can be measured regarding consistency.

We also sought support for an increased level of funding for the Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Services which reflects their dramatically increased workload alongside the establishment of a state-wide housing information and support service for older people to provide a central point of contact for older people at immediate risk of homelessness. 

Read our full submission here.