From Public Housing to Public-Private Housing

Aging in (Privatized) Places: Subsidized Housing Policy and Seniors

“…There was explosive growth in this program (until the 1980s when Housing Choice Vouchers became the preferred option) when the private sector recognized the profit-making possibilities of operating all phases of housing provision subsidized by the federal government (Orlebeke, 2000). Currently, the majority of the subsidized senior population lives in these complexes, which tend to fly under the radar with little oversight by housing authorities (Vale & Freemark, 2012). In fact, besides occupancy data, there is little research available about these units to understand their impact on seniors.…”

“…Single residents were not eligible to participate in public housing until the Housing Act of 1956 recognized the housing needs of seniors and people with disabilities (Vale & Freemark, 2012). By the 1950s, the public housing population had evolved from serving a middle class who were viewed as temporarily down on their luck to serving residents with incomes in the lowest echelon of society, including seniors.…”

“…A household's income that was no more than five or six times the rent of an apartment could be assisted. Thus, government was correcting a market failure but not for the neediest populations (Vale & Freemark, 2012).…”

“…The Section 8 Housing Voucher program, introduced in 1974, has quickly become the most popular housing program, with twice as many vouchers offered as public housing units (Vale & Freemark, 2012). This method of subsidizing the poor focuses on individual choice and initiative along with private sector involvement, rather than sole government support, to alleviate the housing issue.…”

“…With federal subsidies, the LI-HTC program of 1986 has constructed 1.6 million units, many of which are targeted to older adults. Although of higher quality, these moderately priced units are typically not targeted to those with the lowest incomes (Vale & Freemark, 2012). Only 31.3% are considered extremely low income with incomes less than 30% of area median income (O'Regan & Horn, 2012).…”