There is a senior housing crisis in New Hampshire and it’s only getting worse with how large our elderly population is. Luckily, the State Committee on Aging (SCOA) has made this crisis their focus and are working on creative solutions. This committee was appointed by the governor and is charged with looking at legislation dealing with the state’s aging population. How the SCOA found out about this problem started out with a single woman reaching out for help.
Senior Housing Crisis in New Hampshire
Patricia Robinson, 66, from Plaistow was on the verge of homelessness when she lost her home of 43 years to foreclosure. She tried to find solutions on her own, calling agencies, organizations, and churches looking for help. With no answers, she was ready to make her car her home.
Then Robinson made that fateful call to Kathy Baldridge of Bedford, who is a downsizing expert, to get help with packing her years of accumulated belongings. Baldridge happens to be a member of SCOA and she gathered the other SCOA members to help Robinson.
With only days to spare, they found Robinson a home in a Portsmouth mobile home for $600 a month. Robinson will pay $400 a month, and with help of various charitable groups, the rest of Robinson’s rent will be paid for along with a storage unit for anything that doesn’t fit in her new home. Her only income is her monthly $681 Social Security check, which was why it was so difficult for to find affordable housing.
Robinson’s call to Baldridge has shown SCOA the way to their new mission: find a way for the state to address the crisis in affordable housing for seniors. For many subsidized housing there is a five to nine year waiting list.
Kristi St. Laurent, a member of SCOA who helped Robinson, realized that the whole process of finding affordable housing is overwhelming for one person, let alone a elderly person. It took a whole team to help Robinson, what were others supposed to do?
The Creation of Silver Corps
So Baldridge is getting creative. One idea she came up with is called Silver Corps, the idea is to match seniors with 20-year-olds who are looking for affordable housing. They can provide extra help like transportation, yard work, and security for a lesser rent.
There are other ideas happening across the country like tiny housing in Detroit. It’s exactly as it sounds, people build tiny houses for seniors to rent and it’s less expensive than a regular house. There is also in-law suites or apartments that NH recently passed law making it easier to build one on your property. In Massachusetts, people who donate property to affordable housing get tax credits.