To Help Older Adults - Build Housing
Many of Palo Alto’s older residents are struggling to find housing that meets their needs, according to a recent survey prepared by Avenidas (a Palo Alto non-profit that for a half century has provided services to older adults). The shortage of senior housing is a national problem – but especially so here, given the extraordinary housing prices. This is hard on people of all ages, and particularly on residents living on fixed incomes, given the rapid increase in housing costs.
Aging residents find that their old home does not fit their new needs. One challenge is barriers to physical accessibility, like a step-up front door, a staircase to the bedrooms, or a hall that is too narrow for a wheelchair. Another challenge is the needless cost of empty rooms, previously occupied by now-grown children. Many seniors would like to move to a smaller home with physically accessible features – in the same community where they have lived for many years, and where their children and friends may still live.
But where housing is scarce, choices are few. Some seniors are displaced, only finding new homes at a great distance from friends and family. Others are stuck, despite their old home’s burden on their mobility and budget. When this happens, there is one less home for a growing family, which further drives up the cost for such housing.
Survey Results
The Avenidas survey of older adults in Palo Alto and adjacent communities found that:
78% of older adults in the Palo Alto area want to remain in their community throughout their retirement.
29% report “housing stress,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs.
When asked to rate “availability of affordable quality housing,” respondents were nine times more likely to give negative answers than positive ones. Specifically, 67% answered “poor” and 16% “fair,” compared to 6% “good” and 3% “excellent.
Likewise, when asked to rate “availability of accessible housing” (for example, with a single floor), respondents were nearly three times more likely to give negative answers than positive ones. Specifically, 19% answered “poor” and 21% “fair,” compared to 13% “good” and 2% “excellent.”
Of 17 aspects of livability, housing needed the most improvement.
In short, many older adults in Palo Alto need to downsize their home because it is too expensive, and they want to stay in this community. But they lack access to affordable and accessible housing here.
National Context
Our country’s population is aging. By 2030, one in five people will be aged 65 and over, and one in ten will be aged 80 and over, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
The housing shortage is taking a mobility toll on seniors. Twenty-two percent of people aged 65 to 79 have difficulty walking or climbing stairs, and 39% of those aged 80 and up have this difficulty, according to a study of HUD data. But just 4% of homes have basic accessibility features, according to another study of HUD data.
The housing shortage is also taking a financial toll on seniors. For example, roughly one-third of senior-headed households – over ten million – were “cost burdened,” meaning they paid more than 30% of their income for housing, according to a study of Federal Reserve data. Likewise, the number of senior-headed households with “worst case” needs, meaning they paid more than 50% of their income on rent, grew by 607,000 from 2017 to 2021, to 2.24 million, according to a 2021 HUD report.
The inevitable and tragic result is rising homelessness among older people. Of the people who sought homelessness services in California in 2022, 6% were 65 or older, according to data from the state’s Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS). From 2017 to 2021, the number of Californians aged 55 and up who sought homelessness services grew by 84%, more than any other group, according to CalMatters’ analysis of HDIS data. In the words of the chief program officer at a Fresno shelter: “I feel like our shelters are slowly becoming de facto nursing facilities.”
How Do We Move FORWARD?
Palo Alto must build more homes for everyone, including smaller and more accessible homes for older residents. Otherwise, many of our older residents will be forced to make a painful choice between staying put, which hurts their pocketbook and physical independence, versus a jarring displacement to housing a great distance away.
In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom released California’s Master Plan on Aging, a 10-year blueprint to better meet the needs of our state’s older population. The Plan’s number one priority: increase affordable housing options for seniors.
The American Association of Retired Persons supports legislation on “Re-Legalizing Middle Housing.” The AARP explains: “Missing Middle homes provide the size and affordability options that people of all ages – including older adults – very much need but often can’t find.”