Older women face housing crisis

SEA executive officer Don Tunnicliffe said the service was seeing a growth in this age group, which had been identifiable for some time.

�We are being inundated with women who have been through a marriage break-up and are empty- nesters, so have educated their children and ran an efficient household until they found themselves without a job and a roof over their head.

�These women are entirely capable but throughout their life have had a diminished capacity for providing superannuation for themselves and the pay differentials between men and women have meant there is no money to fall back on, and there was no room for savings as generally they gave whatever they had to provide for their kids.

�We don't know the answers to this problem other than early prevention and making sure governments at all levels provide an affordable supply for housing.

"We hope the City of Swan will guarantee an affordable housing mix for women working as cleaners and shop assistants in the expanded Midland Gate complex so that it enables women in this age group to live near their work," Mr Tunnicliffe said.

City of Swan acting chief executive Steven Tan said the apartments in the Midland Oval Precinct would cater for a range of income groups.

"Midland and the surrounding suburbs are some of the most affordable in Perth for both houses and units," Mr Tan said.

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