The number of people over the age of 50 who do not own their own home, who are on a social housing waiting list or depending on housing benefits to rent in the private market is increasing, according to a new report.
The report from the Parliamentary Budget Office shows that in more than 31,500 households in Ireland, the main applicant for social housing was aged 50 or over.
It found that the "difficulty in securing affordable mortgage finance and the unsustainability of renting into older age increases the likelihood this cohort will require State support for their housing needs in both the immediate and long term.
"The costs of providing appropriate housing will only increase in line with the recipient's age, as more specialist housing types and adaptations become necessary."
According to the latest census figures, there has been a decline in homeownership among older people aged 65 or more, going from 87% to 83%.
At the same time, there has been an increase of 83% in the number of older people living in the private rental sector.
Alone, a charity that advocates for older people, said that the numbers of calls it is getting from older people in relation to the housing crisis is growing by 40% year on year.
The charity's head of communications said it has seen a six-fold increase year-on-year in people coming to them seeking help for housing.
"There are more people than ever before renting into their 40s and 50s," Frank Dillon said.
"Once they hit 65, their income lowers dramatically and if they're still paying rent - they just can't afford it."
Ireland's pension system is modelled off a 'double dividend' assumption, Mr Dillon explained. This assumes that someone in retirement will have higher assets and lower housing costs when they stop working.
"The welfare system is expecting people to be homeowners," he said.
A report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in 2022 found that it is unlikely the State will be able to carry the full cost supporting older people who do not own their own homes.
A higher proportion of households in the rental sector and the continuation of rental payments while in retirement could significantly raise the proportion of people aged 65 or older living in poverty from 14% in 2022 to as high as 31%.
The number of older people aged 70 or more on the social housing waiting list almost doubled between 2013 and 2022, the latest year for which there is data.
For people in their 60s, there were 4,878 on the social housing waiting list in 2022.
Nearly one-in-three people in social housing now are aged 60 or more.
