According to a recent report, 65 million households — more than half of the households in the nation — are headed by someone 50 or older. Without proper planning local governments will face significant challenges providing affordable housing and supportive resources for these community members as they continue to age and desire to do so in place.
Route Fifty focuses in on the report’s coverage of the looming impacts to local governments in rural and suburban areas and their ability to effectively service their aging residents:
The share of adults who are 65 or older living in low-density metro census tracts increased by more than 6 million people from 2000 to 2016, the study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University noted. That is about 15 million people, with another 8 million living in non-metropolitan area neighborhoods.
For many local governments, helping these residents age in place could mean a larger readjustment of community practices, such as changing zoning in suburban areas to not be so focused on single family housing, said Jennifer Molinsky, a senior research associate at the center.
For more information:
A Growing Need for Aging-in-Place Services in Suburbs and Rural Areas (Route Fifty)
Housing America’s Older Adults 2018 Report (Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University)
Want to learn more about how counties in Maryland are addressing challenges to serving their growing aging populations as well as other vulnerable community members? Attend the MACo Winter Conference session, “Constituents in Crisis? Human Services to the Rescue!”
The MACo Winter Conference will be held January 2-4, 2019 at the Hyatt in Cambridge, Maryland. This year’s theme is, “Charting the Course.”
Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference:
