Rodney Harrell, Vice President of family, home and community in AARP’s Public Policy Institute, and Rhonda Cunningham Holmes, executive director of Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE), joined Legal Services Corporation (LSC) President Ron Flagg for a podcast, “Seniors Struggle to ‘Age in Place.’”
LCE provides free legal and social work services for people 60 and older living at or near poverty in Washington, D.C., reaching more than 10,000 people annually. Cunningham Holmes explained LCE was founded by AARP through a federal grant 50 years ago and remains an affiliate of AARP.
Over 20% of LCE’s cases are housing-related. AARP found 75% of people 50 and older want to stay in their homes, though 44% expect to move due to challenges like cost, accessibility and natural disasters.
“We have 10,000 people turning 65 every day,” said Harrell. “By the next decade, we'll have more people over 65 than under 18 for the first time in U.S. history — so we're changing as a society, but our housing, our communities, they haven't caught up with our needs as we're aging.”
Cunningham Holmes explained for seniors that LCE serves, many face challenges not directly related to housing at first but create financial strain that can lead to falling behind on rent payments.
“You may have a health-related issue, or you may be financially exploited, and these can lead to you having a housing-related [legal] issue, as well,” Cunningham Holmes said.
One of LCE's clients, a 61-year-old bus driver, suffered a stroke and was unable to work. Cunningham Holmes said the woman was struggling to accept her housing would need to change as a result of her lost income. Facing imminent threat of eviction, a social worker and an attorney worked with her to find a way forward to housing she could afford and negotiated with her landlord to keep an eviction off her record.
“That matters because when you apply for a new apartment, they look to see if you had problems with paying your rent in the past, and they can then choose to not rent to you based upon that,” said Cunningham Holmes.
Landlords themselves reach out to LCE to assist a senior tenant who has fallen behind on rent, Cunningham Holmes explained. She said that landlords understand it is in their best interest to avoid a lengthy eviction process, and they know that legal help can lead to a more beneficial solution for both parties.
Older Americans are in a precarious financial situation, especially when it comes to their housing, Harrell explained.
“Roughly one in three homeowners age 65 and older are considered cost-burdened [and] about half of older renters are — and by that, I mean that they pay more than 30% of their income on housing,” said Harrell.
Flagg noted for many low-income seniors, the alternative to aging in place is not necessarily a nursing home or living with a relative, it is homelessness. An estimated 187,000 adults aged 55 and older experience homeless annually.
“That [number] is anticipated to keep rising,” said Harrell.
“Many of these older adults are especially vulnerable: they're more likely to be veterans, they are more likely to have chronic physical or mental health conditions and need supportive services in addition to housing.”
Listen on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. The podcast is sponsored by LSC’s Leaders Council.
LCE provides free legal and social work services for people 60 and older living at or near poverty in Washington, D.C., reaching more than 10,000 people annually. Cunningham Holmes explained LCE was founded by AARP through a federal grant 50 years ago and remains an affiliate of AARP.
Over 20% of LCE’s cases are housing-related. AARP found 75% of people 50 and older want to stay in their homes, though 44% expect to move due to challenges like cost, accessibility and natural disasters.
“We have 10,000 people turning 65 every day,” said Harrell. “By the next decade, we'll have more people over 65 than under 18 for the first time in U.S. history — so we're changing as a society, but our housing, our communities, they haven't caught up with our needs as we're aging.”
Cunningham Holmes explained for seniors that LCE serves, many face challenges not directly related to housing at first but create financial strain that can lead to falling behind on rent payments.
“You may have a health-related issue, or you may be financially exploited, and these can lead to you having a housing-related [legal] issue, as well,” Cunningham Holmes said.
One of LCE's clients, a 61-year-old bus driver, suffered a stroke and was unable to work. Cunningham Holmes said the woman was struggling to accept her housing would need to change as a result of her lost income. Facing imminent threat of eviction, a social worker and an attorney worked with her to find a way forward to housing she could afford and negotiated with her landlord to keep an eviction off her record.
“That matters because when you apply for a new apartment, they look to see if you had problems with paying your rent in the past, and they can then choose to not rent to you based upon that,” said Cunningham Holmes.
Landlords themselves reach out to LCE to assist a senior tenant who has fallen behind on rent, Cunningham Holmes explained. She said that landlords understand it is in their best interest to avoid a lengthy eviction process, and they know that legal help can lead to a more beneficial solution for both parties.
Older Americans are in a precarious financial situation, especially when it comes to their housing, Harrell explained.
“Roughly one in three homeowners age 65 and older are considered cost-burdened [and] about half of older renters are — and by that, I mean that they pay more than 30% of their income on housing,” said Harrell.
Flagg noted for many low-income seniors, the alternative to aging in place is not necessarily a nursing home or living with a relative, it is homelessness. An estimated 187,000 adults aged 55 and older experience homeless annually.
“That [number] is anticipated to keep rising,” said Harrell.
“Many of these older adults are especially vulnerable: they're more likely to be veterans, they are more likely to have chronic physical or mental health conditions and need supportive services in addition to housing.”
Listen on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. The podcast is sponsored by LSC’s Leaders Council.
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