Description
While the population of seniors, adults 65 years of age and older, in the United States is estimated to increase from 48 million to 79 million over the next 20 years, there needs to be more housing policies and programs that focus on senior-specific needs in cities. City housing experts have posited housing and Urban Development (HUD) vouchers for government-subsidized housing as the solution for addressing the housing needs of low-income older adults. However, these are temporary programs that do not create durable housing solutions.
While there are descriptive statistics on the number of older adults who live in subsidized housing, there still lacks qualitative data that highlight the experiences of low-income adults in finding, living, and aging in gentrifying cities still lack. This project aims to describe and explain the housing experiences of low-income older adults living in HUD buildings in Long Beach, California. The research project is a collaboration between the Long Beach Gray Panthers (LBGP), a non-profit organization that advocates and lobbies for senior-related policies, and House It SoCal, a research team of California State University, Long Beach faculty and students who examine the housing experiences of vulnerable communities in Southern California. The project will address a community-based problem identified by the LBGP as a critical issue for its population of low-income older adults.
Current Research
During 2024, with the assistance and funding from the American Sociological Association’s Community Grant we will conduct sixty one-on-one semi-structured interviews with low-income adults living in government-subsidized buildings in downtown Long Beach. The community of older adults in subsidized housing in downtown Long Beach is predominately Black and Latinx residents who live with the threat of possible displacement and homelessness. The stress of finding housing, staying in housing, and aging in place impacts the overall well-being of older adults. Using the framework of bioethics, we connect housing to health, showing how housing is a social determinant of health. We argue that accessibility and mobility for older adults are critical to their independence, which is key to positive well-being and healthy aging.
