WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs, delivered the following opening statement at
today’s hearing entitled “Affordability and Accessibility: Addressing the
Housing Needs of America’s Seniors.”
Sen. Brown’s remarks,
as prepared for delivery, follow:
No
matter who you are, no matter where you live, at some point you’ve probably
watched as an aging parent or grandparent has found it harder and harder to
move around their house.
Going
up the stairs gets a little more difficult.
Hard-to-reach
places to clean, while never fun, become impossible-to-reach places.
You
start calling parents and grandparents a little more often, to make sure
they’re OK.
And
when driving is no longer an option, trips to the grocery store or church
become next to impossible.
This
story is playing out in more and more families as one of the largest
generations in our history – the baby boomers – gets older.
In
2019, one-in-seven Americans was over 65. By 2040, it will be more than
one-in-five.
And
as people live longer, the homes and communities where they’ve made their lives
– and where they want to stay – aren’t keeping up.
Across
the country, whether you rent or own, housing is too expensive and not
accessible enough to meet the needs of the growing number of older adults.
And
while most seniors own their own home, homeownership isn’t offering as much
financial protection as it used to.
A
smaller share of seniors own their homes today than they did in previous
generations. And more of today’s senior homeowners are still paying a mortgage.
Seniors
who rent have even less to fall back on. And we know that Black and brown
households face barriers to homeownership, and are more likely to rent their
homes.
That
leaves more seniors than ever realizing they can’t stay in their homes without
some kind of assistance – and HUD, local governments, and nonprofits just can’t
keep up.
In
2017, long before the pandemic, nearly 10 million seniors paid more than 30
percent of their income for housing. That’s an all-time high. And 5 million of
these households paid over half of their incomes towards housing.
With
less money left over each month, it’s too expensive for older renters and
homeowners to do the renovations and modifications they would need to keep
their homes safe and affordable – things like adding a ramp or grab bars, or
weatherizing to save on heat bills.
Just
10 percent of homes are accessible for people with the mobility challenges that
come with age.
If
your home isn’t safe anymore, and you can’t afford to make it safe, it leaves
seniors with no choice: go into a nursing home.
And
that’s often even more expensive, and may be more care than they want or need.
The
challenges facing seniors today shouldn’t be a surprise.
We’ve
been watching baby boomers age for decades, but we’ve done nothing that meets
the scale of this change.
Back
in 2014, Dr. Molinsky’s organization, the Joint Center for Housing Studies at
Harvard, warned that the “existing housing stock is unprepared to meet the
escalating need for affordability, accessibility, social connectivity, and
supportive services.” Their report concluded that “the time to act is now.”
Unfortunately,
it’s eight years later, and we haven’t acted.
People
around the country who work with seniors and work on these issues know what
could help us meet this challenge.
Today
we’ll hear from Mrs. Hamernik from Nevada HAND about how investments in
affordable housing and services, like food delivery and transportation, are
helping thousands of seniors in Nevada stay in their community without
crippling rent.
We’ll
also hear from Mrs. Guzman about how communities are making investments that
help seniors modify their homes to age in place, and in the kinds of services
and transit that make it possible for older adults to stay in their homes, and
active in their communities.
Unfortunately,
there’s been far too little investment in efforts that could make a world of
difference – and save money – for millions of seniors and their families.
We
have legislation that would make the investments we need to fix that.
We
need to invest in additional housing and services to support low-income senior
renters, and help seniors do the basic home improvements they need to stay in
their homes.
We
need to give communities tools to address local barriers to building more homes
that fit the needs of an aging population.
And
we need to combine those efforts with reducing prescription costs and
strengthening Medicare. That would finally allow seniors a little financial
breathing room.
These
Americans have worked hard their whole lives. Many have scraped by. And they
want to age with dignity, in the communities they love, near family and
friends. It’s what we all aspire to.
It’s
why we created Social Security and Medicare. It’s why we will fight against
ending them within five years. And it’s why we need these investments in senior
housing today.
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