Sydney’s southwest reshapes housing for older women
The build-out comes against a stark backdrop. As at 31 October 2025, 67,721 households were waiting for social housing across NSW.
Women aged 55 and over are now the fastest-growing group at risk of homelessness – and in Sydney’s southwest, two major estate renewals are quietly shifting the dial.
Backed by NSW and Commonwealth funding, renewal projects in Rosemeadow and Airds-Bradbury, around 45km from Sydney’s CBD, will together deliver more than 100 new social homes for seniors, with most to be allocated to women.
In Rosemeadow, 45 apartments for people aged 55 and over have recently been completed, with lift access and design features to support safe, independent living. They form part of the Rosemeadow Estate Redevelopment, which has replaced a 1970s public housing estate with 230 new homes in a mixed-tenure community, with potential for further housing now under investigation.
Nearby, the Airds-Bradbury Renewal Project – one of NSW’s largest public housing redevelopments – is reshaping a 200-hectare site into a mixed community with at least 30% social housing, including new homes for older residents. To date, 165 new social homes and 843 private lots have been completed, alongside new community spaces, parks and playing fields.
Several stages are still to come, including another 31 seniors’ homes scheduled by the end of 2025. The full renewal is expected to be completed by 2030.
The build-out comes against a stark backdrop. As at 31 October 2025, 67,721 households were waiting for social housing across NSW – 12,031 approved as priority and 55,690 on the general list.
