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EXEMPTION REPORT
The purpose of this report is to demonstrate that there is a sufficient supply of housing for older people or people with a disability within the Kogarah area under existing controls, together with some changes to existing controls.
This report should be read in conjunction with the study of housing needs of elderly people in the St George Area: Close to Home - A look at Older People, Housing and Community in the St George Region, prepared by Stephen Freeth on behalf of Rockdale, Hurstville and Kogarah Councils, April 1996. It considers in details housing needs and preferences of people in the St George sub- region. A copy of the report is annexed.
INTRODUCTION
Kogarah Council area is in the St George region. It is approximately 15km south of Sydney Central Business District. It is approximately 19 square kilometres in area and has approximately 51,000 residents.
KOGARAH'S POPULATION OVER 55 The table below is based on the 1996 census. It shows the population aged over 55.
Age Category Number Percentage of overall population 55-64 4,233 10% 65-74 4,134 9% Over 75 3,683 8% Total over 55 12,050 27%
For each category, the number of women exceeds the number of men, the difference being greatest in the over 75 years category.
The areas with the highest concentration of people aged over 74 at the 1996 census were: Oatley, Blakehurst, Ramsgate and Kogarah Town Centre. From the distribution of people at the 1996 census, areas where the proportion of elderly is expected to grow significantly were; Oatley, and the suburbs of Carss Park and Beverley Park.
The attached maps show the distribution of elderly people by age group throughout the Kogarah Council area.
HOUSING NEEDS AND PREFERENCES OF OLDER PEOPLE
In 1996, Kogarah Council joined with Hurstville and Rockdale City Councils to undertake a study on housing characteristics and needs of older people. CLOSE TO HOME: A Look at Older People, Housing and Community in the St. George Region was the name of the report produced.
It found that in Kogarah Council area:
· a very high proportion of people aged over 65 owned (75%) or were purchasing (6.1%) their home;
· 24% lived in a family situation, 24.7% lived alone and 1.4% lived in a group home;
· 75% lived in a detached home, mainly 3 bedroom dwellings;
· 17% lived in multi unit housing. Of those 17.1% owned their unit, 40.4% were renting and 14.2% were purchasing their unit;
· Amongst the elderly there was a higher than average home ownership rate;
· From consultations with people over 65 in the St. George area, it was further found that:
85% were from English speaking background and the rest were of non-English speaking background; and
Ø Ø The majority of over 65s were on the aged pension, 78.5% and about 10% lived solely on superannuation or were self supported;
The majority lived in the St. George area for over 25 years:
· 90% did not want to leave their local area, 72% did not want to change from their current home, 21% were either undecided or wanted to move; and
61% indicated that they had no problems with their current housing;
Of those who did have problems with their current housing, they raised issues related to the fact that:
there had been no work done on their homes for many years and their houses need renovation;
that their homes were hard to look after;
that there were aspects of the design of their houses that did not suit the needs of elderly or sick including issues related to access to toilets and showers (many had showers over the bath which was hard for an elderly person to safely access);
that their houses had too many steps; issues related to access to front and rear yards; and
Ø the cost of ongoing house and yard maintenance and the high cost of refurbishing of their current housing to meet their needs.
· Many realised that they would probably need to leave their home at some stage in the future, with 40% indicating that living at home alone would be their ideal option. Other options included living with family (9%), living in a retirement village (14%) or living in a hostel (2.7%);
· When asked about alternatives, villas and retirement villages were most highly regarded, living in nursing homes and high rise units were not well regarded;
· The reasons for villas and retirement villages being most highly regarded included the perception that independence and privacy could still be maintained in these forms of housing and that these forms of housing would require less maintenance than their current homes;
· However, there was a perception that villas are more expensive than their current home and that relocation was a legal and financial minefield. Knowledge of hostel accommodation was limited;
· When asked about qualities they looked for when choosing housing, high regard was given to proximity to shops, transport and health services, with next priority being in a familiar neighbourhood, proximity to friends and relatives and having a garden. Issues related to cost, maintenance and access were also raised. Living amongst older people, with a live-in carer and having shared communal facilities were given lowest priority;
· People of Non-English Speaking Background raised a range of other issues related to the importance of extended family and religious differences; problems that they had with poor English and the negotiation of financial, legal and service arrangements; difficulty in getting into public housing; high costs of renting; and
· People of Non-English Speaking Background expressed a strong preference for local ethno specific housing projects;
The report recommends that there is a need to provide choices for older people, particularly medium density such as villas and units, pointing out that the housing needs to be appropriate to the needs and preferences of older people, but also affordable in terms of purchase and rental. The report advocates medium density housing, particularly villas and dual occupancies as forms of housing that are suitable for older people.
The report recognises issues that exist in relation to housing for older people including a shortfall in relation to public housing provision; issues of housing affordability; shortfalls in provision of nursing homes, hostels and community aged care facilities and policy issues that impact on the ability to meet housing needs for the elderly in the St George area related to levels of Commonwealth funding; lack of involvement of the private sector; and poor coordination at service level between Department of Health and Department of Family and Community Services.
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