September 2, 2021 Washington, DC—The nation’s largest association of nonprofit aging services providers praised yesterday’s White House announcement that the Biden Administration is taking action to expand the stock of affordable housing available to all Americans. 

“Millions of older adults are homeless, stuck on waiting lists for years, or skipping meals and medicine to pay rent,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, which represents more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers. 

“The administration has taken a clear step in the right direction,” she added. “And Congress is on its way. They must get this over the finish line. No older American should worry about having a roof over their head.”

LeadingAge has been calling on Congress to invest $7.5 billion towards expanding affordable senior housing options, including HUD’s Section 202 program, as part of the reconciliation package now being finalized on Capitol Hill. 

These long-overdue investments, along with the $400 billion for home and community-based services proposed by the White House earlier this year, would represent the single largest investment in care for older and disabled Americans in generations.  

“Millions of older people—a large proportion of them people of color—can’t afford a safe place to live where they can access the services they need,” Sloan added. “As our population ages, the demand for affordable senior housing is only going to grow. We simply don’t have enough supply to meet that need.”

The Administration’s actions seek to expand access to quality rental properties, boost available housing stock, and make more single-family homes available to individuals, families, and non-profit organizations.

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership, which now includes the providers of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, encompasses the continuum of services for people as they age, including those with disabilities. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.