Wendy Morris has been many things in her life: a school librarian, a mother of four, a recreational opera singer and a volunteer wildlife carer.

Key points: There has been a spike in the number of older people in WA without secure housing

There has been a spike in the number of older people in WA without secure housing Those aged 65–74 also experienced big increases in housing stress from 2011–16

Those aged 65–74 also experienced big increases in housing stress from 2011–16 Older women are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of superannuation savings

She has also been homeless due to myriad life events, which left her exposed to the vagaries of the private rental market.

The 71-year-old has lived in a granny flat in the Perth Hills suburb of Walliston for the past two years.

When she arrived, it was her 11th move in 22 years.

"It is physically and emotionally taxing … it's dreadful, financially," Ms Morris said of the constant relocation.

"When I look at the amount of money I would have paid to shift [houses], I can't bear to think of the figure, quite honestly."

A 'hidden' problem

Ms Morris is one of a growing number of older West Australians experiencing insecure housing or homelessness.

A report released today by the national Ageing on the Edge project shows the number of people aged 65–74 experiencing homelessness rose 16 per cent in WA over the five years to 2016 — the largest increase of any age group.

In the same period, the rate of homelessness among children and youth fell.

Meanwhile, the number of people aged over 65 experiencing housing stress jumped almost 47 per cent.

Wendy Morris lived in a housing cooperative in Bunbury after her marriage ended. ( Supplied )

Households are defined as being in housing stress if they fall within the bottom 40 per cent of incomes and are paying 30 per cent or more of their income in rent.

Report co-author Jeff Fiedler said the report, based on Census data and focus group interviews, showed housing stress among older people was a "rapidly emerging" problem.

"What we're finding is this is a group of older people who don't ask for assistance. It's a real hidden problem in society," he said.

Mr Fiedler said women accounted for 61 per cent of people paying unaffordable rents.

"Because they are retiring with less savings, lower levels of superannuation because of years out of the workforce looking after families, and other reasons, they're more prone to be in this situation," he said.

"There is a gender lens over this, where we need to get housing supply projects on the ground specifically for the needs of older women."

Luke Garswood, chief executive officer at Connect Victoria Park, runs an affordable housing service and agreed women were particularly vulnerable to housing stress in their retirement.

Luke Garswood says many older people do not have enough savings to pay market rents when they retire. ( ABC News: Emily Piesse )

"They owe money on mortgages when they retire, or they have never owned a home and find themselves having to pay market rate rents in a private rental market that's better suited for property investors than for older tenants," he said.

From housing cooperative to a park home

After her 25-year marriage ended, Ms Morris moved into a housing cooperative in the South West city of Bunbury for five years.

"When I look back now, that experience was stable housing," she said.

"We ran the collective ourselves. The rent was 25 per cent of our income."

When the cooperative disbanded, Ms Morris moved to Perth.

It was 2002 and rents were on the verge of an escalation, along with house prices.

Wendy Morris spent a big slice of her superannuation on this park home. ( Supplied: Wendy Morris )

Despite working full-time, the librarian could not keep pace with the market, moving frequently as her landlords raised the rent.

Ms Morris said she "couch-surfed" with her two daughters on and off before an opportunity arose to buy a park home in Carine, in Perth's north.

She spent half of her superannuation on the home, which she conceded was a "really, really bad idea" in retrospect.

After three years, the park owners sold the land to a property developer.

"Ninety-nine of us lost everything. No compensation at all," Ms Morris said.

Unable to sell the house for a sufficient sum to recover her investment, she found someone willing to pay to transport the building to Yarloop, a town 125 kilometres south of Perth that was ravaged by bushfires in 2016.

"People often don't understand the reasons for [homelessness]," Ms Morris said.

"The reasons, of course, are often marriage breakdown, it can be death of a spouse. It can also be taking time out to raise your family and then you wind up with minimal super to help you through your retirement, which is my situation."

Call for more social housing

The report made 11 recommendations, including calling for more social housing and a "one-stop shop" referral service to connect older people with affordable housing providers.

That could include public and community housing providers, independent living units and rentals within aged care or retirement villages.

"There's a lot more out there for older people than is currently understood and so a directory of some kind would be of great assistance," Mr Fiedler said.

In a statement, Community Services Minister Simone McGurk said the State Government would release its 10-year homelessness strategy later this year.

The Department of Communities is also due to release a directions paper on housing for seniors.

WA is the third state to receive a report as part of the Ageing on the Edge project, a partnership between researchers from the University of Adelaide and the Victorian-based Housing for the Aged Action Group.