This paper highlights the current and longstanding housing issues that adversely affect older people, people with disability and carers in NSW. While these cohorts are diverse, they have much in common and there is significant intersection between them. They have a shared need for accessible, affordable and well located housing, and face common barriers in seeking to meet those needs.

In 2022, the Chairs and representatives of the NSW Ageing and Disability Advisory Board, the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing, the Disability Council of NSW, and the NSW Carers Advisory Council met to discuss the critical issues in their portfolio areas. Each of the Chairs identified housing as the dominant and pervasive issue consistently being raised through their work that is affecting all aspects of the lives of older people, people with disability and carers in NSW, and causing continuing harm. While government has taken, and is continuing to take, a range of actions to improve housing outcomes for NSW citizens, the Chairs considered that the risks faced by older people, people with disability and carers had not been adequately recognised or addressed.

Across these cohorts, there is significant overlap and intersection, with mutual areas of need and common barriers to appropriate housing. Within these cohorts, there are also groups who experience disproportionately high rates of homelessness and other poor housing outcomes and have particular needs in relation to housing and other services, including (but not limited to) Aboriginal people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and people in LGBTQ+ communities.

In this context, the Chairs identified the need for a summary paper that draws together existing public information on the housing issues affecting older people, people with disability and carers in NSW to:

• highlight the particular housing issues for older people, people with disability and carers, and the impact of those issues
• inform discussions with the NSW Government, and the advice of the four advisory bodies
• inform the considerations of the NSW Government to progress actions to address the issues.

This paper does not seek to duplicate previous reports, go into detail about the broader housing issues in NSW, or canvass different accommodation models. Rather, the paper highlights the key known housing issues for NSW citizens who are older and/or have a disability and, by extension, carers providing informal support, and their impact.