Affordable Housing For Senior Citizens

As the baby boomers get older finding affordable housing for senior citizens becomes more important as many choose to sell their homes in order to get cash to live on or because they can no longer take care of it.

For many seniors housing subsidized by the government is the only affordable housing options they have because of their low income status.

The good news is that for those low income seniors housing can be both affordable and comfortable because many subsidized communities are safe, well maintained and offer many senior activities.

Affordable Housing For Senior Citizens – How To Qualify

To qualify for these programs a senior or their spouse must be at least 62 years of age and their income less any approved medical expenses must be below the 50% of the median income for the state and county that they live in.

While this sounds complicated it is really quite easy as the HUD website provides all of the income tables you will need to see if you qualify.

Seniors also have to be able to take care of themselves as the government programs (called the Section 202 program) don’t provide assisted living services but it is important to note that some residences will have some assistance available through local agencies or charities.

Other programs like meal delivery might be included or available for a fee in some housing complexes but once again these are at the discretion of the landlord. The government does not administer the programs directly leaving that to non-profit programs that get financial assistance from HUD in order to make affordable housing for seniors available in the community.

If you are thinking of moving into one of these low income facilities you should visit it in person and try and talk to some of the residents. Visiting at night is a good idea to give you an idea of how safe and well-lit the facility is as a community can look completely different at night.

If you aren’t sure about anything in your lease agreement be sure and have your attorney look it over before signing it but rest assured that affordable housing for senior citizens that is safe and clean is available for anyone that needs it.

HUD Senior Housing

Many of our elderly need help with living expenses because they are living off of fixed incomes like Social Security and have little in the way of savings.

To help those in need the government has set up the HUD senior housing program which is formally known as the Section 202 program and anyone that meets the eligibility requirements can participate.

In fact, the government has taken the issue of senior housing so seriously that it has amended housing laws to permit the exclusion of families with children from designated senior communities.

How Do You Qualify For HUD Senior Housing?

To qualify as senior housing HUD must have made the determination that the dwelling is designed only for senior citizens under a any level of government program or only people aged 62 or older live there or at least one person is 55 or older in at least 80 percent of the units that are currently occupied while also adhering to a policy that shows that the dwellings are intended for those aged 55 or older.

The HUD senior housing program also provide money to firms to construct, acquire and rehabilitate buildings for the purpose of serving as housing for low income seniors besides providing rent assistance to the elderly.

Bu doing this more affordable senior housing becomes available with many offering support services for the elderly. This allows elderly people deemed very low income with more options to live independently while also providing services like cooking, cleaning and transportation.

To qualify for subsidized senior housing assistance the applicant or their spouse must be at least 62 years old and classified as having a very low income.

This determination is based on median income levels for every state and county taken from continually updated tables that are maintained by HUD. If, after subtracting any medical expenses approved by HUD, the applicant’s income is less than half of the median income for their area they qualify and only have to pay 30 percent of your adjusted income for rent with Section 202 picking up the rest.

As the program grows and more people reach retirement age the HUD senior housing program has to be able to grow as well to meet the needs of our ever-increasing senior population.

Low Income Required For HUD 202 Housing

Hud 202Persons are eligible to apply for assistance if their incomes are very low, which is generally equal to 50 percent of the area median family income, adjusted for household size. Residents are predominantly elderly women living alone with incomes between $5,000 and $15,000. The median 2006 income of about $10,000 is well below the income eligibility limit for the program.

The 1974 Housing Act established a new mission for Section 202: to serve persons with low incomes, defined as households at or below 80 percent of the local median income.