Report Calls For Better Housing For Elderly

The growing population of older Americans demands increased attention to their housing and health care, according to a new report to Congress from the Commission on Affordable Housing and Health Facility Needs in the 21st Century. The report, "A Quiet Crisis in America," suggests that seniors' unmet housing and health care needs will reach crisis proportions in the next few years. According to the report, there are nearly six times as many seniors with unmet housing needs as are currently served by rent-assisted housing. In 1999, about nine elderly applicants waited on lists for each available subsidized apartment. And 324,000 Section 8 assisted units in senior properties are currently at risk of "opting out" of the HUD program. The Commission on Affordable Housing and Health Facility Needs for Seniors in the 21st Century was established by Congress in 1999.

Thanks to Dateline APA