Aussie's rented rooms to boarders 100 years ago but would it work now?
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare are surveying people nationwide to see if intergenerational share housing could be considered a safe and beneficial practice.
Dr Anna McKinley, from the university's School of Law and Society, told The Senior the survey aims to give insight to combat Australia's housing affordability crisis, with researchers hoping present recommendations to policy-makers.
Read more from The Senior:
"There's lots of people in the community with spare bedrooms that could help minimise the housing crisis if some of these rooms were utilised as share opportunities," Dr McKinley said.
"Is that an option? Is that a possibility? What would that mean? What would people want before they would be able to do that?"
By finding out directly from homeowners, it is hoped specific requirements will be revealed and discussed, potentially covering topics like safety, legal implications and social impacts.
Dr McKinley said there were many people facing housing insecurity "for no fault of their own" and could benefit from a rent-a-room scheme - but the homeowner could also have a positive experience.
"It's the people who own a house but are socially poor, or who are cash poor, who could benefit from having a housemate," she said.
"And one group of people is the elderly, who are starting to age, but are not at that point yet of needing help.
"But to have somebody living with them when they were reaching that stage would be really beneficial."
The report would provide a framework on how Anglicare, Southern Queensland, could set up a support service. They then hope to run those support services as a pilot in the next couple of years.
Far from being a new concept, Dr McKinley said Australians have rented rooms before.
"It's previously worked. If we go back to the 30s, 40s, 50s - last time there was a major housing issue, people did rent out spare rooms, families had a boarder," she said.
Dr McKinley admitted that "any system is open to abuse" and the project was keen to see how the risks can be minimised.
Housing for the Aged Action Group's (HAAG) new report has shown a clear link between housing and elder abuse.
The report looks at older Australians suspected to be victims of abuse who were experiencing housing issues between 2020-2024 and who approached the group for help.
The findings revealed elder abuse happened in close family relationships - but also in shared living arrangements. The report stated that "secure and stable housing" is a "critical pathway out of abuse".
HAAG's Executive Officer, Fiona York, said the report's "deep dive" reveal many older Australians are living with people who are harming them - but in many cases they had no choice but to stay in the situation.
"Rising costs and limited availability of affordable housing leaves many people trapped in cycles of abuse," Ms York said.
"Integrating housing support within the broader context of elder abuse and family violence will also be critical to improving outcomes for older people facing abuse and mistreatment."
Worryingly, the report also found "older Australians of any age" were at risk of abuse and were likely to be living with the people causing them harm.
A lack of knowledge on what constitutes elder abuse among victims was uncovered adding another challenge for older Australians to face - recognising when they were in harms way.
It follows comments from a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) economist proposed in April 2025 that homeowners should be incentivised to rent their spare room to a homeless person, as the housing issue is not due to ease until "2029".
Dr Lyndall Bryant, from the QUT Centre for Justice and School of Economics and Finance said there were 13 million unused bedrooms in existing housing stock in Australia.
"Millions of empty bedrooms exist and yet many older homeowners live in poverty rather than risk losing their pension or paying taxes by renting out a spare bedroom", she previously told The Senior.
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare survey can be found on this link.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
A joint research study is looking at the viability of home owners renting a spare bedroom to people at risk of homelessness, though some say it opens the door for elder abuse.
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare are surveying people nationwide to see if intergenerational share housing could be considered a safe and beneficial practice.
Dr Anna McKinley, from the university's School of Law and Society, told The Senior the survey aims to give insight to combat Australia's housing affordability crisis, with researchers hoping present recommendations to policy-makers.
Read more from The Senior:
"There's lots of people in the community with spare bedrooms that could help minimise the housing crisis if some of these rooms were utilised as share opportunities," Dr McKinley said.
"Is that an option? Is that a possibility? What would that mean? What would people want before they would be able to do that?"
By finding out directly from homeowners, it is hoped specific requirements will be revealed and discussed, potentially covering topics like safety, legal implications and social impacts.
Dr McKinley said there were many people facing housing insecurity "for no fault of their own" and could benefit from a rent-a-room scheme - but the homeowner could also have a positive experience.
"It's the people who own a house but are socially poor, or who are cash poor, who could benefit from having a housemate," she said.
"And one group of people is the elderly, who are starting to age, but are not at that point yet of needing help.
"But to have somebody living with them when they were reaching that stage would be really beneficial."
The report would provide a framework on how Anglicare, Southern Queensland, could set up a support service. They then hope to run those support services as a pilot in the next couple of years.
Far from being a new concept, Dr McKinley said Australians have rented rooms before.
"It's previously worked. If we go back to the 30s, 40s, 50s - last time there was a major housing issue, people did rent out spare rooms, families had a boarder," she said.
Dr McKinley admitted that "any system is open to abuse" and the project was keen to see how the risks can be minimised.
Housing for the Aged Action Group's (HAAG) new report has shown a clear link between housing and elder abuse.
The report looks at older Australians suspected to be victims of abuse who were experiencing housing issues between 2020-2024 and who approached the group for help.
The findings revealed elder abuse happened in close family relationships - but also in shared living arrangements. The report stated that "secure and stable housing" is a "critical pathway out of abuse".
HAAG's Executive Officer, Fiona York, said the report's "deep dive" reveal many older Australians are living with people who are harming them - but in many cases they had no choice but to stay in the situation.
"Rising costs and limited availability of affordable housing leaves many people trapped in cycles of abuse," Ms York said.
"Integrating housing support within the broader context of elder abuse and family violence will also be critical to improving outcomes for older people facing abuse and mistreatment."
Worryingly, the report also found "older Australians of any age" were at risk of abuse and were likely to be living with the people causing them harm.
A lack of knowledge on what constitutes elder abuse among victims was uncovered adding another challenge for older Australians to face - recognising when they were in harms way.
It follows comments from a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) economist proposed in April 2025 that homeowners should be incentivised to rent their spare room to a homeless person, as the housing issue is not due to ease until "2029".
Dr Lyndall Bryant, from the QUT Centre for Justice and School of Economics and Finance said there were 13 million unused bedrooms in existing housing stock in Australia.
"Millions of empty bedrooms exist and yet many older homeowners live in poverty rather than risk losing their pension or paying taxes by renting out a spare bedroom", she previously told The Senior.
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare survey can be found on this link.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
A joint research study is looking at the viability of home owners renting a spare bedroom to people at risk of homelessness, though some say it opens the door for elder abuse.
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare are surveying people nationwide to see if intergenerational share housing could be considered a safe and beneficial practice.
Dr Anna McKinley, from the university's School of Law and Society, told The Senior the survey aims to give insight to combat Australia's housing affordability crisis, with researchers hoping present recommendations to policy-makers.
Read more from The Senior:
"There's lots of people in the community with spare bedrooms that could help minimise the housing crisis if some of these rooms were utilised as share opportunities," Dr McKinley said.
"Is that an option? Is that a possibility? What would that mean? What would people want before they would be able to do that?"
By finding out directly from homeowners, it is hoped specific requirements will be revealed and discussed, potentially covering topics like safety, legal implications and social impacts.
Dr McKinley said there were many people facing housing insecurity "for no fault of their own" and could benefit from a rent-a-room scheme - but the homeowner could also have a positive experience.
"It's the people who own a house but are socially poor, or who are cash poor, who could benefit from having a housemate," she said.
"And one group of people is the elderly, who are starting to age, but are not at that point yet of needing help.
"But to have somebody living with them when they were reaching that stage would be really beneficial."
The report would provide a framework on how Anglicare, Southern Queensland, could set up a support service. They then hope to run those support services as a pilot in the next couple of years.
Far from being a new concept, Dr McKinley said Australians have rented rooms before.
"It's previously worked. If we go back to the 30s, 40s, 50s - last time there was a major housing issue, people did rent out spare rooms, families had a boarder," she said.
Dr McKinley admitted that "any system is open to abuse" and the project was keen to see how the risks can be minimised.
Housing for the Aged Action Group's (HAAG) new report has shown a clear link between housing and elder abuse.
The report looks at older Australians suspected to be victims of abuse who were experiencing housing issues between 2020-2024 and who approached the group for help.
The findings revealed elder abuse happened in close family relationships - but also in shared living arrangements. The report stated that "secure and stable housing" is a "critical pathway out of abuse".
HAAG's Executive Officer, Fiona York, said the report's "deep dive" reveal many older Australians are living with people who are harming them - but in many cases they had no choice but to stay in the situation.
"Rising costs and limited availability of affordable housing leaves many people trapped in cycles of abuse," Ms York said.
"Integrating housing support within the broader context of elder abuse and family violence will also be critical to improving outcomes for older people facing abuse and mistreatment."
Worryingly, the report also found "older Australians of any age" were at risk of abuse and were likely to be living with the people causing them harm.
A lack of knowledge on what constitutes elder abuse among victims was uncovered adding another challenge for older Australians to face - recognising when they were in harms way.
It follows comments from a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) economist proposed in April 2025 that homeowners should be incentivised to rent their spare room to a homeless person, as the housing issue is not due to ease until "2029".
Dr Lyndall Bryant, from the QUT Centre for Justice and School of Economics and Finance said there were 13 million unused bedrooms in existing housing stock in Australia.
"Millions of empty bedrooms exist and yet many older homeowners live in poverty rather than risk losing their pension or paying taxes by renting out a spare bedroom", she previously told The Senior.
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare survey can be found on this link.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
A joint research study is looking at the viability of home owners renting a spare bedroom to people at risk of homelessness, though some say it opens the door for elder abuse.
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare are surveying people nationwide to see if intergenerational share housing could be considered a safe and beneficial practice.
Dr Anna McKinley, from the university's School of Law and Society, told The Senior the survey aims to give insight to combat Australia's housing affordability crisis, with researchers hoping present recommendations to policy-makers.
Read more from The Senior:
"There's lots of people in the community with spare bedrooms that could help minimise the housing crisis if some of these rooms were utilised as share opportunities," Dr McKinley said.
"Is that an option? Is that a possibility? What would that mean? What would people want before they would be able to do that?"
By finding out directly from homeowners, it is hoped specific requirements will be revealed and discussed, potentially covering topics like safety, legal implications and social impacts.
Dr McKinley said there were many people facing housing insecurity "for no fault of their own" and could benefit from a rent-a-room scheme - but the homeowner could also have a positive experience.
"It's the people who own a house but are socially poor, or who are cash poor, who could benefit from having a housemate," she said.
"And one group of people is the elderly, who are starting to age, but are not at that point yet of needing help.
"But to have somebody living with them when they were reaching that stage would be really beneficial."
The report would provide a framework on how Anglicare, Southern Queensland, could set up a support service. They then hope to run those support services as a pilot in the next couple of years.
Far from being a new concept, Dr McKinley said Australians have rented rooms before.
"It's previously worked. If we go back to the 30s, 40s, 50s - last time there was a major housing issue, people did rent out spare rooms, families had a boarder," she said.
Dr McKinley admitted that "any system is open to abuse" and the project was keen to see how the risks can be minimised.
Housing for the Aged Action Group's (HAAG) new report has shown a clear link between housing and elder abuse.
The report looks at older Australians suspected to be victims of abuse who were experiencing housing issues between 2020-2024 and who approached the group for help.
The findings revealed elder abuse happened in close family relationships - but also in shared living arrangements. The report stated that "secure and stable housing" is a "critical pathway out of abuse".
HAAG's Executive Officer, Fiona York, said the report's "deep dive" reveal many older Australians are living with people who are harming them - but in many cases they had no choice but to stay in the situation.
"Rising costs and limited availability of affordable housing leaves many people trapped in cycles of abuse," Ms York said.
"Integrating housing support within the broader context of elder abuse and family violence will also be critical to improving outcomes for older people facing abuse and mistreatment."
Worryingly, the report also found "older Australians of any age" were at risk of abuse and were likely to be living with the people causing them harm.
A lack of knowledge on what constitutes elder abuse among victims was uncovered adding another challenge for older Australians to face - recognising when they were in harms way.
It follows comments from a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) economist proposed in April 2025 that homeowners should be incentivised to rent their spare room to a homeless person, as the housing issue is not due to ease until "2029".
Dr Lyndall Bryant, from the QUT Centre for Justice and School of Economics and Finance said there were 13 million unused bedrooms in existing housing stock in Australia.
"Millions of empty bedrooms exist and yet many older homeowners live in poverty rather than risk losing their pension or paying taxes by renting out a spare bedroom", she previously told The Senior.
The University of Sunshine Coast and Anglicare survey can be found on this link.
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
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Like many young professionals in a post-COVID world, Ms Cheah now works mostly from home and makes a conscious effort to stay socially connected. "I'm very lucky to have a team that's very much inclusive and sociable but I will assume not everyone is lucky enough to have that environment," she says. "It can be very difficult to reach out. That first obstacle could be the hardest thing for people to overcome." Associate Professor Lim agrees that being alone is not the same as being lonely. "By definition, young people are not often socially isolated ... they're not actually physically alone ... but they are feeling very lonely," she says. Digital technology, while offering new ways to connect, is also part of the problem. "We haven't really introduced good digital literacy, not just for our children but even for us as parents. As parents we model behaviours and with the increases of digital communication, we're not doing a great job ourselves. 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Naoka Cheah was just settling into student life at the University of Melbourne aged 19 when COVID-19 hit, forcing her to return to Malaysia and complete much of her degree remotely. "I went back thinking it's probably just going to be a few months at most ... not a huge impact. But I was stuck back in Malaysia for more than a year," she says. "It was a very unreal experience, being apart from your other students, being apart from friends … and also trying to ace those exams and not fail. I think that's something we were all struggling with." Now 25 and working as a data analyst in Melbourne, Ms Cheah reflects on how her forced isolation also came with unexpected benefits. "Initially it is a very scary experience but it pushes you to kind of face yourself," she says. "There's a stigma of loneliness but it's actually very important to then also have that time by yourself … to figure out what you actually love, what you actually hate." Like many young professionals in a post-COVID world, Ms Cheah now works mostly from home and makes a conscious effort to stay socially connected. "I'm very lucky to have a team that's very much inclusive and sociable but I will assume not everyone is lucky enough to have that environment," she says. "It can be very difficult to reach out. That first obstacle could be the hardest thing for people to overcome." Associate Professor Lim agrees that being alone is not the same as being lonely. "By definition, young people are not often socially isolated ... they're not actually physically alone ... but they are feeling very lonely," she says. Digital technology, while offering new ways to connect, is also part of the problem. "We haven't really introduced good digital literacy, not just for our children but even for us as parents. As parents we model behaviours and with the increases of digital communication, we're not doing a great job ourselves. "We know we have to be able to get young people to have healthy social relationships in that digital world." She adds that for some young Australians - particularly those from the LGBTQI community or in regional areas- digital spaces can be essential. "They say 'I need that digital community because I don't have people around me that are like me'. So there is a place for it but we haven't quite taught young people how to navigate this very tricky social media world and digital world and how to use it for their benefit." Darcy Gilmour, a 25-year-old graduate from Canberra, understands this complexity all too well. Hospitalised at age 10 for two years due to rare blood disorders, he says the loneliness he experienced during and after was profound. "That obviously created a big feeling of isolation," he says. "It was pretty tough. "When I went to high school, I was just trying to reintegrate ... it was a big adjustment and I also experienced a lot of loneliness there. 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