Retired, renting, and alone: the housing precarity of our older women

The growth in the housing register, or the waitlist for state housing, has been well-documented in recent years and sits at around 25,000 people today.

There are many things that stand out about the housing register aside from its rapid escalation, including that 49% of applicants are Māori and nearly 1/3rd of all applicants are in Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland.

What is not immediately apparent is the large number of seniors aged 65 years and over on the wait list - nearly 3000 according to data from the Ministry of Social Development. That’s up from 800 in 2018.

What is not visible at all in the official statistics is the number of older women. There is no official data on homelessness broken down by gender being tracked.

Even so, we know that our older women are one of the most at-risk groups when it comes to homelessness.

Pali Gunasekera, 87, stands in front of her Christchurch Methodist Mission community housing. KAI SCHWOERER / THE PRESS

A big and growing problem

The official data might be scarce, but evidence from housing providers on the ground and key pieces of research show that our housing system is failing our older women - our grandmothers, our kuia, the women who have often taken on the caregiving responsibilities for the current decision-making generation.

Ageing Well National Science Challenge research shows that homelessness amongst older people is increasing faster than in other age groups - with 1/6th of their research respondents having experienced homelessness in the last five years, resorting to couch-surfing with friends and relatives or even living in their cars.

Tenure insecurity, or the risk of being moved on from or being unable to afford a rental - is at the heart of this rapid growth.

Other factors include relationship breakdowns, property sale after separation, and limited affordable and accessible housing options, especially for older, single people.

When we put the gender lens on this, the pay gap that women experience throughout their lives means that they are even more at risk in precarious and unaffordable renting situations, or as the Retirement Commission puts it:

“The impact of working part-time, gender bias and gender pay gaps disadvantage women and are reflected in KiwiSaver balances at 65 years old.”

They are also more likely to outlive male partners, meaning they are often on their own financially.

This financial situation compounds the difficulty of finding - or staying - in home that is up to scratch when it comes to accessibility and often robs older women of the option of ageing in place in their chosen community.

Social isolation and health impacts

A house is not just a home, it is also the basis of health and wellbeing, and this is particularly true for older women.

Social isolation, compounded by housing insecurity and homelessness, inflicts severe negative health impacts on older women. The intersection of these challenges creates a precarious situation where individuals find themselves not only grappling with the physical hardships of poor housing or homelessness but also enduring the emotional toll of social isolation.

Older women experiencing housing insecurity often lack the stability necessary for maintaining consistent healthcare. The absence of a stable and supportive social network further exacerbates mental health issues, leading to heightened stress, anxiety, and depression.

The lack of proper nutrition for those couch surfing, sleeping in their cars or sleeping rough also contributes to declining health. Overall, the confluence of social isolation and housing insecurity among older women not only jeopardizes their immediate well-being but also increases the risk of chronic health conditions, emphasizing the urgent need for comprehensive support systems and interventions to address this multifaceted challenge.

How do we address this challenge?

The statistics may be abstract but the real-life impacts are all too real. A recent article reported the tragic case of a 72-year-old woman, Helena Wakefield, who died on July 7, 2022 while living in her car. Helena’s story serves as a poignant example of the dire consequences of the housing and support challenges faced by older women.

That’s why the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness is putting the needs of older women front and centre in our advocacy.

Specifically, we are calling for

• Better data and evidence on more “hidden” forms of women’s homelessness.

• Investment in affordable, accessible rentals that are designed to cater to the social, cultural, and health needs of older women.

• Reporting and action on gender pay gaps and per the Retirement Commission’s findings, “ensuring the universal nature of NZ Superannuation protects women’s incomes in retirement” given they are currently less able to contribute to earnings-based schemes or build up other savings.