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2019-06-01
Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance;
After a pause during the Great Recession, housing costs began rising again as the shortage of homes identified in 2001 began to widen. In some degree, this is because of nationwide changes that have increased demand for apartments and homes on small lots, especially in walkable, transit-connected places. But Greater Boston is also a victim of its own success. The many attractive characteristics of our region are drawing new households by the thousands. Young adults are forming new families and older residents are less likely to flee to Florida and Arizona. Overall, the population of the region is growing – in fact, Massachusetts is the fastest growing state in the Northeast. The disinvestment and population declines of earlier decades have been reversed, and the benefits are overwhelmingly positive. But, if housing supply cannot keep up with demand, these gains could be lost.From 2010 to 2017, the Metropolitan Boston region added 245,000 new jobs, a 14 percent increase. Yet according to the best data available, cities and towns permitted only 71,600 housing units over that same time period, growth of only 5.2 percent. When supply of new housing does not keep pace with the growing demand created by new workers and young adults forming new households, there is more competition for the existing units. Low rental vacancy rates (just above half of normal) and low for-sale inventory (just above a third of normal) make it a landlord and sellers' market, allowing them to charge top dollar to the highest bidder. Continued demand for labor, driven by economic growth and the retirement of the Baby Boomers is likely to continue driving strong population growth and housing demand well into the future. Compounding the issue is the fact that Baby Boomers will continue to need housing well after they retire, but are stuck in large single family homes because there are very few affordable options to downsize.For more information: https://ma-smartgrowth.org/resources/resourcesreports-books/
2019-01-01
Aeon;
Using data from the Research Collaborative organizations, Wilder Research conducted a quantitative analysis that looked at the relationship between a resident's housing outcomes and their criminal background.
2019-08-19
Homelessness Policy Research Institute;
According to the 2018 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, there are 12,698 older adults (aged 55 and older) experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care (LAHSA, 2018). This older adult age group makes up over a quarter of the total homeless population in Los Angeles County (LAHSA, 2018). Research has found that, nationally, the share of homeless adults that are 55 and older is increasing and projected to continue growing, suggesting a "cohort effect" where homeless baby boomers are getting older and shifting the age distribution of the single adult homeless population (Culhane et al., 2018). This shift will increasingly strain homeless services and healthcare providers since older adults experiencing homelessness face a higher likelihood of adverse health outcomes than housed older adults and younger people experiencing homelessness (Culhane et al., 2018). This literature review explores research on the characteristics and unique needs of older adults experiencing homelessness and highlights potential interventions and strategies for addressing those needs, including permanent supportive housing.
2020-01-01
Generations United;
This toolkit was developed by Generations United and the Leading Age LTSS Center @UMass Boston with funding from the RRF Foundation for Aging (formerly the Retirement Research Foundation). It was designed specifically to help senior housing organizations plan and implement high-quality intergenerational programs that will benefit residents and young people in their communities. While designed with senior housing organizations in mind, a range of organizations interested in planning and implementing intergenerational programs and activities will also find the toolkit useful. There are many ways to take an intergenerational approach to programming. The materials contained in the toolkit can help you begin developing your program and/or give you tips on deepening or expanding your intergenerational work.
2020-10-01
Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University;
As the overall population ages, the number of very low-income older adult households that qualify for HUD housing assistance is rising rapidly. Older adults tend to stay in subsidized housing longer than younger families. As a result, older adults make up a growing share of HUD-subsidized renter households. In the last ten years alone, the share of older adults in HUD-subsidized housing has risen five percentage points, and older adult households now make up over a third of all subsidized renters. In this paper, we examine whether the subsidized housing stock is suitable for aging in place. We ask: What physical challenges do older subsidized renters face? What difficulties do they experience with their housing environment? And, are subsidized units more equipped with accessibility features than units without rent assistance?To answer these questions, we used the 2011 American Housing Survey, the last vintage of this survey to include detailed questions about housing accessibility and household mobility difficulties. We constructed a comparison group of eligible, unsubsidized renters making up to 30 percent of area median income. We used chi-square statistics, logistic regression modeling, and propensity score matching to identify differences in housing accessibility and mobility difficulties between subsidized and unsubsidized, eligible older adults. We also compare households receiving project-based subsidies to those receiving tenant-based vouchers.The findings confirm that older subsidized renters have many vulnerabilities, but rental housing assistance provides more livable housing in terms of accessibility than private-market rentals. We also find that renters receiving project-based rental assistance typically have more accessibility features than those receiving tenant-based assistance, but the differences are not statistically significant. Ultimately, our results highlight the benefit of subsidized housing but also point to unmet needs. Livable and wheelchair accessible units are lacking for older, extremely low-income renters, whether they receive a subsidy or not. While many units are potentially modifiable, only a small share have basic accessibility features that make them currently livable for older adults.
2019-07-12
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights;
In Illinois, nearly 5 million adults, 50% of the population, are estimated to have an arrest or conviction record. Housing is foundational for employment success, family stability, and overall well-being. Unfortunately, criminal history checks are a typical part of the housing application processes, and many people with records are declined housing opportunities they would otherwise be a good fit for, but for the criminal record. Our goal for Win-Win was to develop user-friendly guidance about the use of criminal records in screening and housing applicants, and to provide recommendations that housing providers can adopt and adapt, in whole or in part, to increase housing opportunities for people with criminal records.
2019-03-01
Wilder Research;
Every three years, Wilder Research conducts a statewide survey of people experiencing homelessness or living in temporary housing programs. The 2018 study took place on October 25, 2018, and included two components that captured information on that date: 1) face-to-face interviews with people throughout the state who were experiencing homelessness and 2) a count of people experiencing homelessness.
2019-09-26
Heartland Alliance Research & Policy Division;
Millions of people in Illinois experience poverty or are living on the brink. That societal position keeps opportunities out of reach and nearly guarantees worse outcomes in every quality of life domain—making ALL of us worse off. The poverty rate for the United States was 11.8% in 2018, a decline of 0.5 percentage points from 2017. There were 38.1 million people in poverty nationwide. In 2018, 1.5 million Illinoisans were in poverty—a rate of 12.1%. Additionally, 2.0 million Illinoisans are near poor and economically insecure with incomes between 100% and 199% of the federal poverty threshold. This year marks the first time that the U.S.poverty rate is below pre-recession levels; Illinois lags behind this trend,with its poverty rate just returning to pre-recession levels.
2019-02-01
Wilder Research;
This report summary provides characteristics of solos in Minnesota and the United States based on Wilder Research analysis of data from the 2017 single-year sample and 2012-2016 5-year aggregate sample of the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series of the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Estimates were assembled separately for three generational cohorts: Generation X, Baby Boomer, and Silent/Greatest.
2019-02-14
National Health Care for the Homeless Council;
This fact sheet was developed by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and the National Network to End Family Homelessness, an initiative of The Bassuk Center on Homelessness and Vulnerable Children and Youth. The purpose is to ensure clinicians working with people experiencing homelessness understand the role of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in health outcomes as well as the options for responding.
2019-08-01
Wilder Research;
Project Recovery serves individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders in Ramsey and Dakota counties through drop-in and case management services, linking them to appropriate housing, treatment, and health care supports. This report presents evaluation results for the second year of grant activities. It includes data from interviews with participants, evaluations of a training session provided to housing providers, and surveys with stakeholders who work with the chemical dependency and homelessness systems.
