There are a variety of programs that provide senior housing assistance with the most popular being the programs provided by HUD.
In fact, HUD has mandated goals to provide more housing programs for seniors in the future such as making affordable senior housing more available for the elderly, increasing the number of seniors living in federally assisted senior housing and increasing the overall satisfaction of the seniors renting Section 202 apartments.
There are at least 23 distinct federal senior housing programs that are geared towards providing the elderly with assistance with two that are intended for seniors only and the latest data shows that seniors occupy over 1.3 million units thanks to government programs.
These two programs are the Section 202 program provided by HUD as well as the USDA’s Section 504 Rural Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Grants program.
While these programs offer much needed senior housing assistance they may fall short in that they are not required to provide any support services to the elderly. To help compensate for this HUD links to programs like Service Coordinator and the Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) program that match up local community resources with seniors in need.
Senior Housing Assistance Grants
Additionally, the Congregate Housing Services Program provides grants for much needed services such as meals and non-medical services for the elderly in multifamily and public housing properties and the Neighborhood Networks program helps establish on-site computer centers for the residents.
HUD will pay up to 40 percent of these costs with the grantees paying at least 50 percent and the seniors paying the remaining 10 percent.
Of course, there are always local services as well as private organizations that often help seniors in need of clean, safe housing but the first place to begin looking for senior housing assistance is with the Federal government, specifically HUD.