Access to safe and secure housing is a human right. Unfortunately, older people in New South Wales are increasingly finding themselves without a home, or at risk of becoming homeless. Not only is this situation personally devastating for the individual but most often, it has ongoing consequences for the broader community and the government.

Sadly, while traditional stereotypes of people who experience homelessness persist, it is increasingly older people, particularly older women, who are the 'face' of homelessness of New South Wales today. This cohort may not sleep on the streets but may find themselves couch surfing among family and friends or sleeping in their cars, living in highly precarious situations. While the 'greying' of homelessness is occurring across Australia, the committee heard that due to a range of structural and individual factors, including feelings of shame and embarrassment, the true extent of homelessness amongst this cohort is unknown.

It was evident during the inquiry that older people are experiencing homelessness later in life. While each individual's journey to homelessness is unique and driven by a confluence of complex and diverse factors, such as domestic and family violence, including elder abuse, the primary drivers are financial difficulty, housing crisis and housing affordability stress.

Chapter 1 explores the experience of homelessness in New South Wales. It considers not just the incidence of homelessness, but the stories of individuals with lived experience. The evidence of these stakeholders offered essential insight into the complex and multifaceted nature of homelessness and the challenges people face accessing services. Their journeys provided the context for the key issues raised throughout this report.

Chapter 2 outlines the government policies in place across all levels government to address homelessness amongst older people in New South Wales. It first considers how the NSW Government approaches homelessness and its associated concerns, including housing, older people, and family and domestic violence.

Chapter 3 considers the decline of home ownership before examining the consequent impact on the private rental market and the concerns stakeholders have over securing housing in this market, such as rental housing supply, affordability, evictions, accessibility and discrimination.

Chapter 4 first considers older women, who are the fastest growing group to experience homelessness in Australia. It then considers the experiences of other vulnerable groups of older people, including First Nations people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and chronic health conditions, carers, LGBTQ+ people, and people living in rural, regional and remote areas.

The homelessness service system is vast and comprises a range of services including government services, Specialist Homelessness Services, place-based services, and prevention and early intervention services. Chapter 5 considers these services, from the NSW Government service Link2Home, to Specialist Homelessness Services, which include the provision of temporary accommodation and transitional housing.