Yet another article with the same basic story--homelessness among older adults comes as the result of poverty intersecting with a shortage of affordable housing, and the solution is twofold (and exceptionally simple): build more housing, and provide rent subsidies in the interim. The problem isn't that we don't know what's wrong. The problem isn't that we don't know what to do. The problem is that some places aren't doing the obvious.
Thank you to the LA Times Editorial Board for highlighting the tragic situation of older adult homelessness. We see it every day at Northwest Pilot Project. Older adults make up nearly 25% of the homeless population in Multnomah County. What's worse is the number of older adults at risk of homelessness. Rising rents + fixed income = a high risk for eviction. The Times highlights an important new report by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative called "Toward Dignity: Understanding Older Adult Homelessness" which details the challenges very low-income older adults are facing, and provides the deep analysis that will help us find more solutions that build on what we already know. https://lnkd.in/g5qBeq8B One solution we have tright now is long-term rent assistance from the existing resources we have generated by the Supportive Housing Services tax. NWPP could stabilize the housing of hundreds of older adults at risk of eviction today with an allocation of funds from Multnomah County. And great appreciation to NWPP board member Marisa Espinoza, MPA who is the lead author on the report. https://lnkd.in/gpjVUTXu
Totally agree -- and, there are lots of properties that can be re-purposed to create housing at reasonable returns for communities and REITs. It takes organizing and will. It also takes confronting ageism. See you on the ramparts!