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Aging in Place Assumes a Place to Call Home
Several reports published over the past few years have pointed to the rapid growth in the number of older adults who find themselves homeless or unhoused, often for the first time late in life. This trend is impacting Elder Services as well. Options Counselor Kerri Lyford recalled that pre-pandemic, she would have perhaps one unhoused client a year. Today, the unhoused make up 50% or more of her caseload, with internal referrals coming from Protective Services but also from departments like Home Care and Senior Care Options. Changes in health or abilities can lead to homelessness when, for example, someone is no longer able to access their second-floor unit in a building with no elevator or when they are no longer able to work and bring in an income.
While we are not a housing agency, we’ve been making it a priority to attend housing-focused forums and workshops, advocating for the needs of our clients and consumers. This past week, Lyford and ESCCI Community Services Officer Sarah Franey participated in a Cape & Islands Regional Fair Housing Listening Session hosted by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. State Senator Julian Cyr, chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, opened the session with remarks that set the stage for a conversation focused on advancing housing stability and equity across the Cape and Islands.
Much of the testimony offered at the session referenced housing affordability pressures and their impact on the local economy, including on essential workers in sectors such as healthcare, education, hospitality, and municipal services and on retirees living on fixed incomes. In an email sent after the hearing, Director of Fair Housing Whitney Demetrius, thanked participants for sharing their stories and insights, noting that their passion “reaffirmed that fair housing is not just policy; it is opportunity, stability, and belonging.”
A recently released report, Building for Aging, from the state’s Special Commission on Senior Housing, chaired by Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus, offers creative strategies for better aligning existing resources to respond to the changing and diverse needs of older people. The Commission was established under the Affordable Homes Act of 2024. The very first line in the report’s introductory letter calls our attention to the hard reality that “Housing costs are the biggest driver of economic insecurity for older adults.” In addition to its excellent compilation and analysis of relevant population data, the report offers nine recommendations, each with a carefully thought out “implementation pathway” including administrative, regulatory, and legislative changes. Because the Commission understands that most people would choose to age in their home communities for as long as possible, the report holds concerns about accessible design and/or modification and access to long-term services and supports at the forefront of the discussion.
We urge all older adults and housing advocates across Cape Cod to download and read the whole report. If you are interested in promoting the visibility of older adults' housing challenges and strengthening connections between service providers and housing/homelessness organizations, contact Eva Orman at eva.orman@capecod.gov to learn how you can get involved in Healthy Aging Cape Cod's Housing Working Group.
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