Supportive Housing: Critical to Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population

Supportive housing combines housing with health and other services in a supportive social community to help enable older adults and persons with disabilities maintain their independence. The demand for supportive housing options will increase as the baby boom population ages, life expectancies lengthen, and more older adults need health care and other supports to help them age in their communities. . This publication provides an overview of housing models that provide housing with supportive services. Case Study: Cathedral Square Corporation’s SASH program in Burlington, VT.

This Spotlight is part of the Future of Housing Initiative:

The home is central to individual and community well-being and should support our lives today and into the future. In our work to address housing for older adults and their families, AARP and AARP Foundation created the Future of Housing Initiative with a focus on today and tomorrow. The majority of Americans want to live independently in their homes as they age. Therefore thinking about future needs today is of paramount importance.

When it comes to future needs our nation’s housing is severely deficient. By 2030, one in every five Americans will be over age 65, and our nation will face a severe shortage in accessible and affordable housing to meet their needs.

Through the Future of Housing Initiative, we are developing strategies to address the senior housing crisis and make all of our communities affordable and welcoming for people regardless of age, background, circumstance, or physical ability. Learn more by visiting: https://futureofhousing.aarp.org/