For over a decade, Meredith, now in her 70s, has struggled to find safe and affordable housing, describing the experience as a game of snakes and ladders. After securing her first social housing unit in her 50s, she stayed three years but left due to an unsafe environment where drug use was visible. She later found an affordable unit in a retirement village on the Sunshine Coast. "I realised, even though I would have been beautifully housed for the rest of my life, I couldn't stay there," Meredith said.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 31,700 people aged 55 and over received assistance from specialist homelessness services in 2024-25, an increase of 2,200 from the previous year. Meanwhile, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland reports that rental availability in Brisbane's private market remains extremely limited at 1 percent.

In response, a free support service was established in 2022 after women advocated for government action. Maggie Shambrook, a founding member of the Housing Older Women Movement, expressed relief that the service is aiding women like Meredith. Meredith shared, "I feel like a different person knowing that if worse comes to worst and I do lose my housing, I've got all these people to turn to."

Design psychology professor Evonne Miller highlighted that the initiative uses creativity to educate and inspire empathy around the issue. The service emphasizes the precariousness many older women face, with Meredith noting, "There is an element of insecurity and that scares the living daylights out of me because I have already lost two fantastic housing places."

Support representatives stressed the need for improved assistance, stating, "We can do better, we need to do better to support older women who are in this precarious situation," and warned, "We don't realise how we are one misfortune away from this being our story."

Sources