The crisis of affordable senior housing grows more urgent every day. In 2020, the United States had approximately 58 million older adults. According to the U.S. Census and Harvard’s Housing America’s Older Adults 2023 report, the number of Americans aged 80 and older is expected to double by 2040, reaching around 17 million.
Who Counts as a Senior?
Seniors are commonly defined as individuals aged 65 and older (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020).
What Is Affordable Senior Housing?
Affordable housing generally means spending no more than 30% of a household’s income on housing costs. Some affordable housing programs use “80% of Area Median Income (AMI)” as a qualifying threshold for eligibility.
Why Is There a Lack of Affordable Senior Housing?
Following the Baby Boom (1946–1964), the nation’s population grew rapidly, driving increased demand for housing. Contributing factors to today’s housing shortage include inflation, shifting demographics, and a historical emphasis on prioritizing younger generations. Now, as Baby Boomers age, there is a growing shortage of affordable senior housing. Rising demand has driven up prices, leaving many seniors with few affordable options.
Poverty Among Seniors in Hartford
In Hartford, approximately 26.5% of seniors live below the poverty line, reflecting the city’s broader economic challenges. Many older adults face increasing difficulty securing safe, affordable housing.
Housing Costs Are Rising
According to Housing America’s Older Adults 2023, 11.2 million seniors in the United States now spend more than 30% of their household income on housing. This marks a significant increase from the previous high of 9.7 million in 2016 — an alarming trend as the senior population continues to grow.
Seniors Are Not a Monolith
The term “senior” covers a wide range of people — from those just turning 65 to individuals in their 90s. Seniors vary greatly in background, education, career histories, and health status.
Race and Economic Disparities
Unfortunately, race plays a role in seniors’ living situations. In 2022, Asian seniors had the highest median household income at $57,100. Meanwhile, Black and Hispanic seniors’ household incomes were less than 80% of those of white seniors. These disparities are influenced by historical discrimination, differences in social networks, generational wealth gaps, and cultural factors.
Source: Harvard’s Housing America’s Older Adults 2023 report
Different Living Situations
Not all seniors live the same way. Of approximately 55.9 million seniors in the U.S.:
- 25.2 million live with a spouse,
- 14.3 million live alone,
- 9.2 million live with family members,
- 1.1 million care for grandchildren without the child’s parent present, and
- 1.4 million reside in nursing homes or group quarters.
(Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Administration for Community Living)
Living arrangements can greatly impact a senior’s housing costs and other essential expenses, such as food and transportation.
Source: Harvard’s Housing America’s Older Adults 2023 report
Seniors Should Not Move! Seniors Should Be Able to Age in Place!
- Loss of friendship and connection
- After living in a residence for so long, it’s only natural to have created a network of friends and a fondness of where you live. Moving removes seniors away from their familiar spaces and friends. This can create a sense of loss, stress and increases chances of depression.
- Finances
- Changing seniors routine of their monthly expenses isn’t fair. Not only are they paying for housing. They need to pay for food, activities, transportation and more.
- Health and Physical Limitations
- Some seniors tend to have limited mobility and a decline of physical health. When going through the act of strenuous act of moving, this can reactivate a previous injury that has never quite healed. Box moving, packing, constant movement between locations can give opportunity to new injuries.
- Emotional Difficulty
- It’s only normal to feel sad about leaving your community and house. However especially for seniors, this can lead to increased chances of developing depression, high blood pressure, anxiety and self isolation.
- Finding Accommodating Houses
- Finding a affordable house is already hard enough. Now take into account a house to suit seniors suiting their individual state of mobility, needs, conditions, lifestyles and healthcare.
To have seniors move because they cannot pay for their house isn’t fair. This only puts them into more danger and unnecessary stress. We’re talking about our aunts and uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers. Soon enough, it will be us! No one should feel forced to move due to financial reasons. Seniors should age in place and live out their days in comfort.