Older adults are the most at-risk population<\/p>\n
The need for affordable housing is especially dire for low-income older adults, many of whom are living on a fixed income. That\u2019s led some advocates to question why the plan\u2019s first proposed budget, the subject of a public hearing on Wednesday, doesn\u2019t include any dedicated funding for homes catering to residents in that demographic, particularly for new rentals.\n<\/p>\n
Nearly 24,000 households in Philadelphia where all tenants are 65 or older are considered rent-burdened, meaning more than 30% of their income goes towards gross rent, according to Census data crunched by HIP. Gross rent includes the base rent and other expenses like utilities.\n<\/p>\n
There are a total of 12,132 units of federally subsidized rental properties in the city that are targeted toward older adults and have active affordability requirements<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe did what we needed to do when we worked. Now, what do we do? We have nowhere to go. That\u2019s your job to give us a place to go. Help us,\u201d said Lori Peterson, 64, a member of OnePA Renters United.\n <\/p>\n It took Peterson, a retired school crossing guard, roughly seven years to find an affordable unit that was safe and habitable. During that stretch, she said she looked at a minimum of 50 properties, including some that were outside of Philadelphia. Most had yearslong waiting lists. Others had age requirements she didn\u2019t meet.\n<\/p>\n In the interim, Peterson rented a one-bedroom apartment at a West Oak Lane building owned by Odin Properties<\/a>, one of the city\u2019s largest landlords. And almost immediately, she started contending with a cockroach infestation so bad that she would routinely find insects crawling across her body and her belongings.\n<\/p>\n But like many low-income seniors, Peterson couldn\u2019t afford to leave, forcing her to live with substandard conditions while she searched for a better place.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve now been diagnosed with PTSD,\u201d Peterson said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder. \u201cNo one, and I mean no one, should have to go through the ordeal that I went through. They just did not take the time to care about anybody living in that building.\u201d\n<\/p>\n About a year ago, she moved into a handicap accessible unit in a North Philadelphia building that is roach-free. She said she feels blessed but that the stress of her search for a habitable apartment still lingers.\n<\/p>\n \u201cNobody should have to do that,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s plan is rooted in creating and preserving 30,000 units of housing<\/a>. And it includes funding for programs the administration hopes will benefit seniors.\n<\/p>\n