Causes of homelessness among older people in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Objective: A comparative study of the causes of new episodes of homelessness among people aged 50 years and over has been undertaken in Australia, the United States and England. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information on the circumstances and problems that contributed to homelessness. Methods: This paper presents the findings from Australia, where information was obtained from 125 older homeless people (aged 50+ years) and their key workers in Melbourne. All three participating nations followed identical research methodologies. Results: The factors most frequently reported by respondents as contributing to their homelessness were problems with people with whom they li..