The U.S. is ill-prepared to provide adequate housing for the growing ranks of older people, according to a report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Over the next decade, the U.S. population older than 75 will increase by 45%, growing from 17 million to nearly 25 million, with many expected to struggle financially. In 2021, 11.2 million older adults were cost burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
The report notes that creative ideas are needed to house those living on fixed or dwindling incomes with insufficient savings. The remedies can include house or apartment sharing, accessory dwelling units, and cohousing communities where individual homes are arranged around a building with a communal space such as a dining room.
Without such arrangements and enough government help, many older adults will have to skip needed care or rely on family and friends for assistance.
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Nov 1, 2023
Biden Administration reveals plan to spur more office-to-residential conversions
The Biden Administration recently announced plans to encourage more office buildings to be converted to residential use. The plan includes using federal money to lend to developers for conversion projects and selling government property that is suitable for conversions.
Mass Timber | Oct 27, 2023
Five winners selected for $2 million Mass Timber Competition
Five winners were selected to share a $2 million prize in the 2023 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon. The competition was co-sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board and USDA Forest Service (USDA) with the intent “to demonstrate mass timber’s applications in architectural design and highlight its significant role in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment.”
Smart Buildings | Oct 27, 2023
Cox Communities partnership levels up smart tech for multifamily customers
Yesterday, Cox Communities announced its partnership with Level Home Inc., a provider of next-generation smart IoT solutions for multifamily customers.
Student Housing | Oct 25, 2023
Pierce Education Properties acquires Penn State student housing
The two communities offer a wide range of amenities, including swimming pools with sun decks, study rooms with complimentary printing services, fitness centers, tennis court, and sand volleyball courts.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 115 Multifamily Construction Firms for 2023
Clark Group, Suffolk Construction, Summit Contracting Group, Whiting-Turner Contracting, and McShane Companies top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 75 Multifamily Engineering Firms for 2023
Kimley-Horn, WSP, Tetra Tech, Olsson, and Langan head the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 190 Multifamily Architecture Firms for 2023
Humphreys and Partners, Gensler, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Niles Bolton Associates, and AO top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Senior Living Design | Oct 19, 2023
Senior living construction poised for steady recovery
Senior housing demand, as measured by the change in occupied units, continued to outpace new supply in the third quarter, according to NIC MAP Vision. It was the ninth consecutive quarter of growth with a net absorption gain. On the supply side, construction starts continued to be limited compared with pre-pandemic levels.
Urban Planning | Oct 12, 2023
Top 10 'future-ready' cities
With rising climate dilemmas, breakthroughs in technology, and aging infrastructure, the needs of our cities cannot be solved with a single silver bullet. This Point2 report compared the country's top cities over a variety of metrics.
Modular Building | Oct 11, 2023
Development startup brings modular solution to hospitality industry
The company's approach extends to various types of accommodations, from landscape hotels and cozy bed and breakfasts to compact micro hotels and food and wine-themed properties.