A Research Project on Affordable Housing and the Aged in Australia

This project delves into the critical issue of affordable housing for the aged community in Australia, highlighting that 70% of the older population relies on the Australian Community Housing Association (ACHA). It addresses the growing concern of homelessness triggered by the private rental market. The research question focuses on understanding what affordable housing truly means for the aged community. Employing a qualitative research design with a reliance on textual data, the project uses ethnography, unstructured interviews, and qualitative interviewing of 15 aged men and 15 aged women. Additionally, interviews with entrepreneurs of elderly care homes providing affordable housing are proposed. The intended outcomes include understanding the trend of affordable housing for the aged in Australia, documenting the experiences of the aged population benefiting from it, and investigating their lived experiences. The project references various studies on housing affordability, public housing, and homelessness among older Australians, aiming to contribute to a better understanding of the affordable housing landscape for the aged in Australia.

Aged and the affordable housing

Plight of the aged community in Australia
70 per cent of the older population who are
dependant on ACHA.
Private rental market that triggered
homelessness

Current knowledge about the
aged

Research question
MY BROADER RESEARCH QUESTION
IS WHAT DOES AFFORDABLE
HOUSING MEANS FOR THE AGED
COMMUNITY?

Methodological Framework
Qualitative research design
Reliance on textual data as against
textual data
Setting a context as against
commencing with a pre-determined
hypothesis

Methods
 Ethnography
Unstructured interview
Qualitative interviewing of 15 aged
men and 15 aged women.
Interview with the entrepreneurs of
the elderly care homes who provide
affordable housing for the poor?

Proposed outcomes
 The study aims to understand the trend of affordable
housing for the aged in Australia.
It also intends to document the experiences of the aged
population who have availed the benefits of affordable
housing and investigate their lived experiences.
The interview with entrepreneurs is believed to be
enriching for understanding the scenario of affordable
housing in Australia

References
Bentley, R. J., Pevalin, D., Baker, E., Mason, K., Reeves, A., & Beer, A. (2016). Housing affordability, tenure and mental health
in Australia and the United Kingdom: a comparative panel analysis. Housing Studies, 31(2), 208-222.Morris, A. (2013). Public
housing in Australia: A case of advanced urban marginality?. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 24(1), 80-96.
Carter, S. M., & Little, M. (2007). Justifying knowledge, justifying method, taking action: Epistemologies, methodologies, and
methods in qualitative research.Qualitative health research, 17(10), 1316-1328.
Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Health promotion
practice,16(4), 473-475.
McLaren, J., Yeo, A., & Sweet, M. (2016). Australia is facing a housing affordability crisis: Is the solution to this problem the
Singapore model of housing?. Australasian Accounting Business & Finance Journal, 10(4), 38.
Older Australia at a glance, Demographics of older Australians - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018). Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved 5 April 2018, from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australia-at-a-
glance/contents/demographics-of-older-australians
Ong, R. (2016). Financing aged care: The role of housing wealth and intergenerational relationships. POPULATION AGEING, 281.
Petersen, M., Parsell, C., Phillips, R., & White, G. (2014). Preventing first time homelessness amongst older
Australians. AHURI Final Report, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Melbourne.
Zuo, J., Xia, B., Barker, J., & Skitmore, M. (2014). Green buildings for greying people: a case study of a retirement village in
Australia. Facilities, 32(7/8), 365-381.

Thank you