What’s Public Health Got to do With… Housing for Older Adults?
Among the many challenges faced by people growing older in the U.S., housing remains one of the most complex and costly. As people age, their income may be reduced, their mobility may decrease, and accessible and affordable housing stock is simply not widely available.
According to a recent Harvard study, about one-third of older adult households (age 65 and over) in 2022 were “cost-burdened,” spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing. Those who rent their home were even more likely to be cost-burdened. Other studies have shown that middle-income older adults will be particularly vulnerable to losing access to affordable, market-rate housing in coming years, as they may have to choose between paying for housing or health care. Many earning above the limit to qualify for government assistance.
In addition, older adults of color experience structural barriers to home ownership, which has contributed to wide disparities in home ownership rates among Black and Hispanic older adults compared to white counterparts. While home ownership rates have steadily declined for households between the ages of 50 and 64 in recent years, a 19 percentage point difference continues to exist between Black and/or Hispanic homeowners compared to white homeowners.
Older adults are also experiencing homelessness at alarming rates. In 2023, a survey of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night showed that nearly 140,000 adults over 55 were homeless. Recent projections based on analysis of three major U.S. cities suggest that homelessness among older adults in the U.S. will almost triple by 2030. Older adult homelessness is also an equity issue, with Black and Hispanic older adults being at higher risk of experiencing homelessness.
In the face of these challenges, the public health sector should adopt innovative approaches to ensure that older adults have equitable access to affordable and safe housing. Many of these potential strategies align with the Age-Friendly Public Systems AFPHS 6Cs Framework, which guides public health activities in supporting healthy aging.
One of the AFPHS 6Cs is connecting and convening multi-sector partners to address the health and social needs of older adults. Collaboration outside of the public health sector is key to effectively providing safe, affordable, and accessible housing that promotes older adult health and well-being.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are a network of over 600 organizations across the country that support healthy aging by providing access to crucial supports for older adults, such as transportation, social services, and healthy nutrition. AAAs are important partners for the public health sector because of their role in linking health care and supportive resources.
Some AAAs are already working alongside the housing sector by providing a Home Hazard Removal Program that helps older adults reduce their risk of falling at home. By collaborating with AAAs, the public health sector could engage partners from other sectors and further existing initiatives by building new relationships.
Another of the AFPHS 6Cs is collecting, analyzing, and translating relevant and robust data on older adults. Data collection and dissemination is important for calling attention to the health and social needs of older adults, as well as informing the development of evidence-based interventions. The public health sector can support access to appropriate and affordable housing by collecting and sharing data on housing availability and needs. This process can help to identify gaps in housing supply and accessibility, which can strengthen the argument for policy action to increase access to housing that fits older adults’ needs. Additionally, collecting data on program effectiveness can help the public health sector understand which interventions work best for certain populations, which can then be translated into policy changes that lend support to evidence-based programming.
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