Alternative housing pathways for older women

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[Text on screen 'On Tuesday 29 March 2022, City of Melbourne hosted a conversation at MPavillion: Making Home: Where to Next Alternative housing options and pathways. This video provides a summary of the conversation about existing and emerging alternative housing options in Victoria - why they are needed, what they are trying to acheive and how they are funded.

Speakers:

Jennifer Kulas - Development Manager, Nightingale Housing 2020

Caryn Kakas - head of Housing Strategy, ANZ Bank

Natasha Liddell - Development Manager Women's Property initiative

Anneke Deutsch - WINC Older Women in Cohousing

Event is presented by the City of Melbourne with Jo Cannington, Manager of Affordable Housing.

(various voices) Regulation issues but if there was one quick win that you think was almost achievable has anybody got an answer. It's just tax settings, I mean capital gains tax exemptions, negative gearing. I think if you wanted to wave a magic wand that would be an absolute game changer in in the housing space almost overnight.

For me, I think a review of Commonwealth Rental Assistance is is vital right, we haven't looked at that for you know several decades and the practical reality is look what's happened to both you know housing prices and rental prices. So that change in the subsidy, substantially changes people's ability to be able to secure a tenure over a longer period of time. 

I'd like to see a big fund like super funds investing in this middle women category.

I wish there was a magic wand. I think there are so many levers that need to be moved including including the negative gearing just as one of many. From our perspective I think there's a lot more work that can be done for old women in the shared equity space. 

What I'd like to do is just give the panellists one last opportunity to kind of make a statement. I think there's a whole range of work that the City of Melbourne feels very committed to moving this conversation forward. 

This has been a partnership between community services and the housing team because we want to empower women about choices, about understanding what their options are so this won't be the end of the conversation for us. But let's go back to the panellists what's your last statement you'd like us to kind of take away from this discussion today?

I'd really like us to continue to advocate for investment in this space and just noting that while women have got the capacity to invest in their own housing that's the best time for government to invest in them as well and to get you know the best returns rather than paying for them later.

Look for me I think it's looking ahead to what's happening in the property market. What we're seeing coming into play and actually being willing to think about how we influence early. If we don't want to see another generation that's facing what we're seeing now, then this is the time to really think about how we mould and change the types of housing that come to the market and the market in which we operate.

[Music] I want to see shared equity happen from the banks from government and from individual investors being having options that they can invest in.

Mine's twofold. Now  I have the  microphone I'll never let it go. Firstly, I have to kind of echo Karen's statement, I think you housing providers like us, we're here to meet you where you are so if anyone's thinking about their housing situation or it's it's unstable or it's insecure and often that's intervened with complex life events it might be difficult to think about making a plan for yourself or what options might be available for you. But potentially it's about asking a friend that you trust to help you and to set a plan in place or to start thinking about what housing situations or opportunities exist for you.

Nightingale information nights are free or calling up WPI to talk about getting on the social housing register. We recognise that there's stigma or fear or a lot of complexity around some of these ideas but  the best time to plant a tree is yesterday the second best time is today.

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