August 25, 2022 Columbus, OH / Washington, D.C.  – Two of the nation’s leading advocacy organizations for aging adults in service-enriched affordable housing are calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to immediately release authorized funding for the national Service Coordination program and take steps to improve program administration in the future, as housing providers across the country are forced to disrupt services to the hundreds of thousands of low-income older adults they serve. 

In a letter to HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, the American Association of Service Coordinators (AASC) and LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, detail the harmful impacts affordable housing communities and their residents are facing due to HUD’s failure to release Congressionally appropriated funding on time for the annual renewal of approximately 1,500 Service Coordinator grants. For the second year in a row, this at least nine-month funding delay has disrupted access to services for older adults by forcing housing providers to pause critical programming, temporarily shift funds away from other property necessities, and even lay off Service Coordinators. 

“In this economic environment, it is deeply concerning that HUD-assisted properties are being forced to lay off service coordinators, disrupt mandatory training, and require housing providers to dip into reserves that are there for property maintenance and safety,” said Michelle Missler, President & CEO of the American Association of Service Coordinators. “Housing providers depend on these funds to employ Service Coordinators who connect older adult residents to vital resources and services that meet their basic needs and keep them safely aging in their communities. It is imperative that HUD move quickly to release these funds and ensure that processes are in place for more timely grant administration in the future.”

Service Coordinators are essential lifelines for the older adults living in their communities. In addition to connecting residents to services and supports, service coordinators are often the linchpin of property programming, individual health and wellness, and community partnerships to address needs and allow older adults to age in community. When HUD funding delays force Service Coordinators to be let go, the impacts on resident wellbeing can be devastating. 

“HUD’s consistent and unacceptable delays in funding the service coordinator program put inordinate financial pressure on providers, who are forced to find dollars elsewhere. That’s a challenging ask. Where Service Coordinator hours and programming must be cut from budgets, older adults feel the pain,” said Katie Smith Sloan, President & CEO, LeadingAge. “Federally assisted housing, including HUD’s flagship program for low-income older adults, the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program, is a lifeline for millions of older people – a large proportion of them people of color – who can’t afford a safe place to live where they can access the services they need. Service coordinators in these communities ensure that older adults can get vital resources, from doctor visits and transportation to assistance with Medicaid programs, that allow residents to live independently, while reducing use of more expensive taxpayer-funded programs.”    

Service Coordinator grant funding delays have been unfortunately common in recent years and continue to worsen. As a result, the letter to Secretary Fudge highlights opportunities to address the ongoing funding issues, including increasing HUD staffing, modernizing department technology, streamlining processes and oversight, and better leveraging data. 

AASC and LeadingAge are calling on Secretary Fudge to quickly address the funding delays and collaborate with stakeholders to improve the grant renewal process to ensure timely funding in the future. By strengthening HUD’s Service Coordinator program, we can continue to connect HUD-assisted older adults with the essential care they need to remain safely and reliably housed.

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.