ALPENA — Affordable, appropriate housing is a critical need and an important component of an effective Aging in Place strategy. The AARP Foundation estimates that, across the country, more than 19 million low-income, age 50 and older households currently live in unaffordable and/or inadequate housing.

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging survey asked government leaders to identify the top three challenges in meeting the needs of or planning for older adults. The challenges most often cited were financial/funding shortages, transportation, and housing. Specifically noted in their report is the lack of programs to provide home maintenance and repair assistance, home modification and targeted service delivery to meet the needs of older adults.

Housing preservation is very important for our community in Northeast Michigan, for the next generation of homeowners or for the family members who inherit. As noted by NeighborWorks in their work with neighborhood revitalization, “for the sake of the community, keeping these units in good repair and safe for the families who live in them helps to reduce insurance and health care costs and helps maintain property values.”

In recent years, Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan has developed construction expertise to support the housing component for Aging in Place. In fact, Aging in Place is a natural next step, building on programs that have steadily grown over the last few years, including the priority home repair program, weatherization and universal design.

For certified Habitat affiliates in the Aging in Place program, moving from a repair program that served elderly homeowners to a holistic Aging in Place program created a change in perspective that will lead to greater sustainability.

“We have been doing critical home repairs for years, and many were for seniors. Aging in Place helps us think about the work we are doing in a completely different way, by helping seniors to stay in their homes,” said Ted Fines, Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan executive director. “In the past, we were putting on Band-Aids; now we think about what it means for people to stay in their homes. Today we are looking at addressing some of the persistent issues that will improve housing for the long term.”

Habitat Northeast Michigan builds partnerships, advocates for livable communities and networks with other service providers and agencies that support health care, transportation and outreach to senior citizens. Discussion of housing needs with an elderly homeowner opens the opportunity to discuss other needs and connects the elderly with other resources that they may not have been aware were available.

“We can do the renovations, but we also need to be concerned about the senior’s other needs,” Fines added. “We can be a channel to additional resources and programs that can support them.”