Preventing Age 50+ Homelessness 🏡

[Anonymous]

💥This discussion was created on Saturday - April 17, 2021💥

Prevention is cheaper, versus rescuing us after we have become homeless!

• What measures you as one person can do to perhaps prevent your homelessness or another age 50+ person's homelessness?

• Let us discuss this onging crisis 🙂

💡MY PLAN TO HELP

I am encouraging the folks with extra $$$$ to spare to invest in building Tiny Cottages to rent to us in my location.

💡WHY I CARE

It took me being homeless July 2017 to August 2018 to care. Up to that season in my life, life was stable. It took being laid off 3 times in my 50's for reality to kick in. Lol, have no desire to be homeless agsin with me now living on Social Security alone. Yes, had to use my 401k in 2008 to pay off my brand new car. That was my 1st layoff after 9 awesome years with Harris Corporation, Melbourne, Florida. That started my unpredictible life journey, working wherever I could with no 401k.

💥WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU💥

Do you have a homeless story to share? We would luv to hear it!!!

[Anonymous]

💥Wednesday - April 28, 2021💥

1. Good for you @GailL1 that your life is perfect 🙂
2. And in this post I do not mention Tiny Living as Virginia where I live is not zoned for them. A Tiny Cottage is a regular set up for me 🙂
3. In this post I had asked folks their thoughts on preventing age 50+ homelessness. People who care about this crisis or who have experienced homelessness. It is going to take people in their communities caring and getting involved.

[GailL1]

@Anonymous 

Far from perfect - but I do like my set up 

Sorry about mentioning the tiny home thing in this post but I thought that was one of the solutions which you have discussed.

Again, homelessness is caused by basically (4) different scenarios 

1) lack of affordable housing,

(2) poverty

(3) unemployment,

(4) mental illness and the lack of needed services, and substance abuse and the lack of needed services.

So to prevent age 50 + homelessness each of those things, if pertinent to the situation, has to be remedied. 

A solution to any of these is either gonna be dependent on:

1.  the person and their abilities to overcome whichever of these conditions they fall into.

2.  Government help for the short term or the long term again depending on the individual and the conditions they fall into.

How else could it be?

Looking at only the top (2) source conditions of homelessness -

Affordability and Poverty 

HUD programs - Sect. 8 or Sect 202 for seniors/disabled and others are some of the ways government helps solve these problems - so we need more of this type of affordability - but how and where.  That's one thing the current administration wants to do in their housing proposals - give more people access to Sect. 8 housing.  Right now there is a wait list and people don't move off of it too fast.

VOX 07/09/2020 - Joe Biden’s surprisingly visionary housing plan, explained 

This article talks about the expansion of Section 8 vouchers 

Take America’s biggest rental assistance program — Section 8 housing vouchers — and make it available to every family who qualifies. The current funding structure leaves out around 11 million people, simply because the pot allocated by Congress is too small. Then pair it with regulatory changes to help the housing market work better for more people. 

Then there is getting access to more affordable units by low and mid-income - this recent article talks about the different opinions as to this proposal.

Politico 04/10/2021 - How Biden hopes to fix the thorniest problem in housing 

• offering cities federal dollars to encourage them to ease zoning rules that drive up housing costs, impede the construction of affordable homes and often prevent people of color from moving in. 
• tackle the lack of housing supply would lead to the construction, rehabilitation or preservation of some 2 million affordable housing units.

[BertyBGone]

I have never been homeless and thankfully don't foresee that extreme circumstance happening to me, thanks to family taking me in if I needed a home.  But that would necessitate a move across the country which does not appeal to me. 

My issue is with rents going up and up but my income staying basically the same.  My monthly rent is now higher than my entire Social Security check!  So I'm dipping into savings to cover higher rent plus utilities, etc. 

Tiny houses are fairly common where I live (Oregon) and some are being built specifically for the homeless community.  But they are not inexpensive to buy in my area.  More common for seniors is a kind of communal housing, where several "members" share a kitchen and bath but have their own rooms.  I have not looked into details of this type of arrangement because it doesn't really appeal to me.  

I'm always interested in ideas and suggestions for possibly finding a compatible housemate to share expenses.  It's not easy!

[SpringIsHereSoHappy]

(3/6/24) @BertyBGone , I hope you are well! Yes, my rent is going up $45 this April for a Studio Apartment in Cave Spring, Virginia. And yes, we did get an INCREASE in our Retirement Social Security BUT it does NOT cover the "increases" in our bills and food.  😎

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[*** @BertyBGone wrote:

I have never been homeless and thankfully don't foresee that extreme circumstance happening to me, thanks to family taking me in if I needed a home.  But that would necessitate a move across the country which does not appeal to me. 

My issue is with rents going up and up but my income staying basically the same.  My monthly rent is now higher than my entire Social Security check!  So I'm dipping into savings to cover higher rent plus utilities, etc. 

Tiny houses are fairly common where I live (Oregon) and some are being built specifically for the homeless community.  But they are not inexpensive to buy in my area.  More common for seniors is a kind of communal housing, where several "members" share a kitchen and bath but have their own rooms.  I have not looked into details of this type of arrangement because it doesn't really appeal to me.  

I'm always interested in ideas and suggestions for possibly finding a compatible housemate to share expenses.  It's not easy! ***]

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[Anonymous]

💥Saturday - April 17, 2021💥

Hi @BertyBGone I really appreciate you joining our discussion 🙂 I am not into roommates or communal living. Virginia is not zoned for Tiny Living Communities. I want to rent a Tiny Cottage. I also want to visit the AARP CEO in Washington once the pandemic is behind us (no masks or 6 feet). She has the INFLUENCE to SPEAK on our behalf 🙂 

[LaurajW510385]

For all from me: In preventing anything from happening here in the USA is to support what is no longer there; jobs, manufacturing, electronics industry, etc etc. I've asked more than 3 times to go pick crops here in the USA to put food on someone else's table to eat. I am not allowed to do so because I'm an American, I have a Blue Card (SS#), I speak English therefore those types of jobs belong to the illegal. This is my country & I have the Right to work.

The workforce needs to be there & for me to ever start my own business is going to take me some time, some support, some start-up funds, & I guess quite a few other things. The jobs need to be here for me as well as others.

I met a US Veteran who refused a VA physician because the physician had some of its personal identification on its wall & the Veteran could not pronounce the name. The Veteran is Correct.

The economic factor needs to be here again in the USA. Made in the USA.

I know what its like to be forced against my will homeless, unemployed, housing discrimination, any discrimination & with all the rules laws policies that are there have not helped one bit.

I am still We the People & the garbage that is there now taking everything away from me has got to go.

Stay Healthy!!!

[Tempest332]

@LaurajW510385 These "electronics" jobs really pay very little unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

💥Sunday - April 18, 2021💥

You are so RIGHT @LaurajW510385 !!!  I was NOT an addict, NOT disabled, NEVER been to jail or put up with domestic violence = no assistance. But I made it after 13 months in the local shelter here. EVERY day I have to TALK to myself to REMIND me that NO ONE understands my DAILY concern over RAISING rents unless they have WALKED in my shoes. Thank you SO MUCH for SHARING. You understand!!!

[LaurajW510385]

You are Welcome!

Oh Angela understanding is a small word more like "experience" & not allowed on my resume as a skill or talent. Its no longer easy for someone such as myself for being an American & having to endure such....craziness.

Yet I keep my Faith & I Trust in Him-One Nation Under GOD.

I'm still going through the same: being forced out of an apt. as an Elderly Woman to say the least & thus far I'm still here & no help with any laws, policies, rules, regulations, not even an act of congress has helped. I have been able to tell a couple of people No! I'm staying right where I'm at & Bless Him I'm still here enduring the law breakers unhealthy environment(s).

You take each & every moment as that. The shelter let you stay that long that is a Miracle. It will get better than this 3rd world county I now reside in. Smile!!

Stay Healthy!!!

[Anonymous]

💥Sunday - April 18, 2021💥

I am SO SORRY about your apartment @LaurajW510385 . I live in a complex owned by a SLUM landlord who raises the rent when he feels like it. You COMPLAIN = illegal eviction. I am over it at age 63 😤