The South Illawarra Older Women's Network has developed some pertinent questions for the by-election candidates seeking their positions on the issue of older women facing housing insecurity in the Kiama electorate.

We present these as an Open Letter to the 13 candidates.

The questions are:

1. Relative to the whole of NSW, Kiama LGA has a high proportion of unoccupied dwellings and therefore a lower average occupancy rate of existing housing. This reflects Kiama's role as a popular holiday-home destination. About 6% of dwellings are used for short-term rental accommodation - a figure that is also above the NSW average. Given this underutilisation of our housing stock, what are your plans for increasing the number of permanent rental properties available, particularly for highly vulnerable cohorts such as women over the age of 55, and at rents that are affordable?
2. Can you tell us about any practical solutions you are considering to provide safe and secure housing for older women escaping domestic violence? Currently, refuges are not geared for the specific needs of older women and are at capacity on any given day. In addition, wait lists for social housing are up to 10 years.
3. SIOWN and Supported Accommodation & Homelessness Services Shoalhaven Illawarra (SAHSSI) are keen to facilitate grassroots support to older women in the local area. Initially they wish to get a better understanding of the extent of housing insecurity in this group by inviting women to share their stories. By increasing the visibility of this often invisible problem, they can start to fine-tune the kind of support that would be most effective. Ultimately their aim is to establish a program that enables older women to find secure homes when they find themselves at risk of homelessness through no fault of their own. If you were to become our State Government representative, would you be prepared to commit to supporting such an initiative, and in what ways?

Kind regards,

Julie McDonald

Coordinator

South Illawarra Older Women's Network