Housing Needs for Seniors

Marin County’s population of older residents has skyrocketed in the past decade, leaving our county far and away the oldest in the Bay Area. By 2041, almost half our population is expected to be above 60. And, like potholes on a neglected road, Marin’s insufficiency of affordable housing is a basic infrastructure failing that greatly endangers our growing senior population. Here’s why:

Our lack of affordable housing creates unacceptable financial risks for older residents: According to a recent study, 41% of Marin households with senior residents were low-income. As housing prices in Marin climb and elderly individuals on fixed incomes require increasingly expensive daily assistance, countless residents could be pushed out onto the streets. Already, a third of our homeless are over the age of 50.

A Civil Grand Jury called us out for this: In its report slamming Marin for the escalating homeless rate among senior residents, a Civil Grand Jury argued that “Stabilizing housing for older adults is the best way to spare them the pain, suffering, humiliation, and indignity of becoming homeless.”

Many older residents with reliable housing will nevertheless be trapped in place: Aging residents in Marin County commonly live in larger, single-family homes that are difficult to keep up, lack adequate accessibility accommodations, and are too distant from basic services–especially for those who can’t drive. Without sufficient affordable senior housing downtown, elderly residents simply don’t have the option to downsize to meet their needs.

Our healthcare shortage will be disastrous for all of us, especially older adults: Because healthcare workers cannot afford Marin’s high cost of housing, adequate staffing has become an increasing challenge. It has become challenging to recruit healthcare workers and professionals, even doctors. Caretakers are especially difficult to recruit and retain, due to low wages and long commutes– although even doctors have a hard time finding housing in Marin. As a result, Marinites pay higher healthcare bills to offset commuting and housing costs, yet receive worse care.