Women over 60 are becoming the new high-risk group for homelessness as Queensland struggles to make up the shortfall caused by 49,000 fewer social houses being built since 2006.
That key issue emerged from a full-day homelessness and poverty workshop hosted by Queensland social welfare agency Micah Projects this week.
The workshop was told that, nationally, 34 per cent of single women over 60 lived in permanent income poverty, compared with 27 per cent of single older men and 24 per cent of couples.
The poverty line for a single adult pensioner is $414.11 a week, according to the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics' latest research.
"That is largely because they don't have access to superannuation," Micah Projects chief executive Karyn Walsh said.
"So the inequality on a gender basis is there and it is growing.
"Also, family relationships break down, or they become widows and, at an older age, this has consequences."
Steve, who asked that his surname not be used, is the caretaker at the Care by Grace Homeless Shelter at Logan who agreed with Micah's observations.
"Normally most of our people are in the 20s and 30s," he said.
"But just recently, in the past six months or so, we've noticed that. We've now got two here who are in their 60s."
A 2017 report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found there had been a 52 per cent increase in older women contacting homeless agencies since 2011.
"About 12,000 older women (55 and over) sought services, a 52 per cent increase since 2011-12," it found.
In August, SBS's Insight dedicated a program to the emerging trend, with one woman saying she was spending "70 per cent of her income on rent".
The Salvation Army, which runs several hostels in Brisbane, said its women's accommodation services had not noticed an increase in women older than 60.
Ozcare declined to comment on older women seeking help at refuges.
Ms Walsh said the emerging issue in Queensland was linked to the need to widen the variety of housing being provided in Queensland.
She said older women had lower casual work rates than men, had lower retirement incomes and played a greater role in caring than men.
"I think there is a growing awareness of the risk of older women and homelessness and generally there are a lot of people who are older who are experiencing the consequences of the rising costs of living," Ms Walsh said.
"But if people have secure housing and affordable housing they are in a better position to cope."
Ms Walsh said consecutive governments had, until the most recent Queensland budget, cut the funds to build social housing in the state.
That meant 49,000 fewer affordable social houses were provided by governments after 2006.
"The investment just dropped," Ms Walsh said.
"We had the economic stimulus, which was a big increase - around 4000 units, I think - but it just dropped and now in this year's state budget, the government has tipped a billion into it again.
"But that is over a longer period of time and while it's a great investment, it is still a long period of time.
"It won't rectify what we've lost from the years when we did not have significant investment."
The Queensland Housing Strategy, which was launched in this year's budget, promised to build 3825 social and affordable homes over the next 10 years.
That included 599 new social homes in 2017-18 and 599 in 2018-19, with 600 planned for 2019-20.
That is well over the 293 new social homes built in 2015-16, the 357 built in 2016-17 and well over the 54 built in 2013-14 and 69 built in 2012-13 under the previous government.
Queensland Housing Minister Mick de Brenni said the $1.6 billion investment would make up the ground that had been lost.
"In order to get new construction heading in the right direction we are investing $1 billion of that over the next five years," he said.
Mr de Brenni said the government had since June received 200 expressions of interest from building companies to deliver the new housing and would make "significant announcements within weeks".
"We received more than 200 proposals for small, medium and large-scale projects for new homes across the state, including in Cairns, Moreton Bay, Toowoomba, Townsville, Brisbane, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast," he said.
"These proposals are in the final stages of assessment and we should be able to get going on a significant number of these projects very soon."
The Salvation Army reported this week that casual work and electricity costs were impacting their clients.
"Typically clients spend 37 per cent of their income on rent, which is a 7 per cent increase over the last 10 years.
"Additionally, the percentage of income people spend on electricity has increased by 24.9 per cent in the same period."
