Rental aid for seniors advances

It’s one small step, but a Senate appropriations subcommittee has put in the full $825 million for the Supportive Housing for the Elderly program that provides affordable rentals for seniors so they can “age in place” with the help of various services, said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
 
About 470 seniors in Nassau and about 270 in Suffolk are in this program, according to the New York State Housing Finance Agency. On Long Island, about 800,000 baby boomers are expected to reach 65 and beyond in the next two decades.
 
It’s called “Housing for the Elderly” in the budget for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
 
Schumer said he lobbied for the funds after President Obama’s proposed budget slashed the amount to $273.7 million.
 
The program “helps seniors achieve economic and financial independence while providing them with quality affordable housing,” he said, “and it is essential, especially during these tough economic times, to ensure funding is sustained.”
 
The subcommittee approved the housing appropriations bill yesterday, but the bill must also get approval from the full committee, the Senate, the House and finally, Obama.
 
Aging in place is a growing trend as baby boomers reach seniorhood and want to grow older in the comfort of their own homes.
 
Government officials have been trying out various policies and pilot programs aimed at helping people age in place, from taxi services to devices that allow doctors in their offices to get health readings from patients in their homes.

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