BLUEPRINT for AFFORDABLE ELDER HOUSING

142 Pages·2009·6.77 MB·English

BLUEPRINT for

AF FORDABLE ELDER HOUSING

Prepared for the State
of Florida Department
of Elder Affairs
by: Florida Housing Coalition

9/30/2009
BLUEPRINT
for

Affordable Elder Housing in
Communities for a Lifetime

A resource for affordable homes, communities

and mobility solutions that are …

‘Senior-Friendly, Boomer-Ready’*

*Credit: Tallahassee Senior Center

30 September 2009

ON THE COVER

Communities, and Homes, for a Lifetime (and more)

Manufactured (mobile) home in a largely rural
Mobile

county. Very affordable and complete with ramp,
Hom e
mobility and senior village health and social services.

Diminutive 546 square foot home in semi-rural area.
Sm all
Efficient to heat, cool, clean and maintain but steps,

House
location and distances constrain mobility.

Small cottage in a cohousing community near an
Cohousing
urban center. Residents can walk to grocery, other
Cottage
retail and transit; potential for caregivers near-by.

ii
CONTENTS

Overleaf ………………………………………………………………………… ii

Detailed Contents …………………………..………………………………… iv – v

Preamble ………………………………………………………………………. vi

Executive Summary ………………………………………………………….. vii - ix

A. OVERVIEW …………………...……………………. 1 – 15

1. Background and Introduction

2. Affordable Elder Housing in Florida

B. KEY ELEMENTS ……………...…………….……… 17 – 57

1. Home

2. Mobility

3. Community

C. ACTION …………………………………...………... 59 – 62

1. Blueprint Recommendations

2. Implementation Strategies

3. A Better 2030, and Beyond

Appendices

iii
DETAILED CONTENTS

Overleaf and Contents …………………………………………………… ii - iii

Preamble ………………………………………………………………………. vi

Executive Summary ……………………………………………………….. vii - ix

A. OVERVIEW …………………...……………………. 1 – 15

1. Background and Introduction ………………………. 1-3

2. Affordable Elder Housing in Florida ………………. 3-15
2.1 Status and Trends 3 - 4
2.2 Key Elements of Aging In Place 4 - 5
2.2.1 Achieving Efficiencies in Health and Social Services
2.2.2 The Built Environment: Home, Mobility, Community
2.3 Affordable Housing Programs and Strategies 5 - 14
2.3.1 Financial Resources for Affordability
2.3.2 Housing Rehabilitation Programs
2.3.3 Affordability Tools and Techniques
2.4 Private Sector Perspectives 14 - 15
2.5 Affordable Aging In Place Now, in 2030, and Beyond 15

B. KEY ELEMENTS ……………...…………….……… 17 – 57

1. Home ……………………………………………………. 17 - 27
1.1 The Dwelling Unit 17 - 26
1.1.1 Risk and Barrier-Free Basics
1.1.2 Aging-Friendly Amenities
1.1.3 More Aging-Friendly Considerations
1.2 Intergenerational Living and Home-Based Caregiving 26 - 27
1.2.1 Attached Rooms, Suites and Wings
1.2.2 Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

2. Mobility …………………………………………………. 29 – 33

2.1 Personal Mobility and Transportation 29 - 30
2.2 Multimodal Mobility 30 – 33
iv
3. Community ……………………………………………… 35 - 57
3.1 Communities for a Lifetime and Smart Growth 35 - 36
3.2 Florida Regulatory Environment 37 - 42
3.2.1 Implementing Codes and Regulation
3.2.2 Role of Urban Design
3.3 Creative and Affordable Home-Community Solutions 43 - 55
3.3.1 ADUs and More
3.3.2 Small Cluster Communities
3.3.3 Mobile Home Parks and Manufactured Housing
3.3.4 Adaptive Reuse of Existing Housing Stock
3.3.5 Service Models and NORCs
3.4 Legacy and Challenges 56 - 57

C. ACTION …………………………………...………... 59 – 62

1. Blueprint Recommendations ………………………… 59 - 60
1.1 Regulatory
1.2 Societal / Human Resource Development
1.3 Private Sector Market
1.4 Financial Resources / Housing Assistance Programs

2. Implementation Strategies …………………………… 60 - 61

3. A Better 2030, and Beyond …………………………….. 62

Appendices

About the:
Florida Housing Coalition
Contributors
References and Resources
Definitions, Terms and Acronyms:
General Blueprint
Glossary of Housing Terms
Blueprint Attachments

v
Preamble

Blueprint Scope and Objectives: Resources abound on affordable housing, housing
assistance programs, accessible design for the disabled and elderly, healthy aging
and healthy, livable communities. This Blueprint will summarize and synthesize
these diverse sectors into a concise report and set of recommendations to facilitate
more elder-friendly and affordable housing solutions to foster positive aging in place
and optimal quality of life for elder Floridians.

The intended use is with all interested stakeholders to meet the current and coming
demand and challenges of a rapidly growing aging population or ‘Silver Tsunami
2030’ when over a third of the State of Florida is expected to be over the age of 60.
Potential stakeholders include city and county governments, regional planning
councils, senior service providers, academics, policy-makers and the private sector,
particularly those active in the built environment - planning and design
professionals, builders, real estate professionals and developers.

The Research Plan and Approach is basic research with a cross-cutting and
interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon resources in design, architecture, building,
planning, development, government policy and regulatory instruments, public
financing, health and the environment, new urbanism, and healthy aging.

Data Collection Methodology is mainly secondary in nature consisting of literature
search and review of government documents, books, journal articles, reports,
working papers, research monographs and web-based resources. A limited amount
of primary research includes site visits, photo documentation and semi-structured
interviews with relevant public and private sector representatives.

vi
Silver Tsunami 2030
Executive Summary
Year 2030: over one-third of

the State of Florida, close to
Population projections for persons age 60 and older in the
10M people, will be 60 and
state of Florida are 9.74 million or over one-third of the
above. Nearly all will have
state by 2030. About 90% or 8.76 million will want to age in
driver’s licenses. Close to a
place in 4.38 million dwelling units, and about a million
million are expected to be
are likely to be living in poverty.
age 85 and above. About a

million may be living in
This Blueprint builds upon DOEAs Communities for a
poverty. Nearly 4.4 million
Lifetime initiative in the focus areas of housing,
dwelling units will be
transportation and mobility. This Blueprint is about typical
needed for those wanting to
homes and neighborhoods. A key question is whether
age in place. How can
ways and means can be identified to help organizations
homes, communities and
achieve efficiencies in health and social services to older
mobility choices be Senior-
individuals living in their homes, neighborhoods and in
Friendly and Boomer-
emerging Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities
Ready in time for the
(NORCs), and in an affordable manner.
coming generational storm?

Affordable and appropriate aging-friendly homes in smart
community settings with diverse mobility solutions will

begin to provide answers. They can help provide healthy,
efficient and affordable choices to older individuals, to A NORC is “… a
caregivers, and to other senior service providers. critical mass of older

individuals, based on
However, preparing for the coming generational storm by
local factors that,
2030 is not without challenges, chief among them being a
taken in total, allow
legacy of single family homes, multi-family residential,
an organization to
transportation and community infrastructure designed for
many decades to serve families with children and the achieve efficiencies in
automobile. Recommendations for improvement include: health and social

services to older
1. Regulatory
individuals living in
Amend and transform local and state comprehen-
sive plans and local regulatory implementing codes the community.”
to allow more independent, shared and assisted Niesz, 2007

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living; preservation of mobile homes, adaptive reuse of existing properties, in
addition to expanding opportunities for multimodal mobility.

2. Societal / Human Resource
Development
Intergenerational public awareness- MULTIMODAL MOBILITY
raising, training and education with Priority focus on:
diverse groups. - pedestrian environment
- alternatives to automobile
3. Private Sector Market
Relies on:
Incentivize model Communities for a
- good urban design
Lifetime, recognize value of small - mix of land uses
efficient homes, and encourage - connectivity
adaptive reuse of existing properties. Reduction in auto use and:
- pollution, environmental
4. Financial Resources / Housing
degradation and CO2
Assistance Programs
Encourage local jurisdictions to use
financial resources to assist aging in
place and leverage programs to build awareness of elder housing priorities:

State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP)
State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL)
Elderly Housing Community Loan (EHCL)
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
My Safe Florida Home (MSFH)
U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
HUD Section 202 for affordable rental housing
HUD Federal Housing Administration (FHA) 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage

To best respond to both
the extraordinary
AFFORDABILITY
challenges and
Leverage all possible financial resources, for opportunities ahead,
example, SHIP, SAIL, EHCL, CBDG and more
Communities for a
Community land trusts, volunteerism, regulations
Lifetime will:
Public-private partnerships & market innovations

viii
HOME
1. Have homes, communities and mobility solutions
More than visitable, risk
planned, designed and built both aging- and caregiver-
and barrier-free and
friendly, and with affordable choices; and
designed to prevent falls
One accessible living
2. By design, and especially with diverse mobility solutions
level w/ bedroom & bath
and home-based caregiving, be able to achieve efficiencies
Ideally to Universal
in health and social services to older individuals
Design standards
Small, low-maintenance
Proposed Implementation Strategies include, (1) a SHIP
and energy efficient
Rehab program for accessibility, barrier-removal and
Include outdoor living
energy efficiency modifications; (2) transformation of and Homes that enable
more form-based codes to increase opportunities for home-based caregiving
independent, shared and assisted living; including in
particular Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs); (3) mobile
home preservation or replacement in local jurisdictions;
and, (4) accelerate multimodal mobility for healthy and
optimal quality of life for all elder Floridians.

Efforts should begin urgently to ensure Florida can be both
MOBILITY
senior-friendly and boomer-ready well before the coming
Maximize multi-modal
generational storm of 2030, and beyond.
mobility and walking &

lower auto dependence

COMMUNITY
Focus on good design
and form-based codes
Increase use of ADUs &
small cottage clusters
Ensure replacement
housing prior to mobile
home conversions
Utilize, revitalize and
adapt existing properties
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OVERVIEW SECTION A

A1 Background and Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) projected that the number of people aged 60
and over will double from 11% of the global population in 2006 to 22% by 2050. US
projections are 20.3% in this age group by the year 2015, and over 25% by the year
2030. Population projections for persons age 60 and older in the state of Florida are:

2015 5.66 million over one-fourth of the state (26.7%)
2030 9.74 million over one-third of the state (33.9%)
Source: US Administration on Aging

Thus, there will be nearly 10 million 60 and
older individuals in Florida by the year 2030
Florida 2030
across a very long continuum of income groups
and abilities: beginning from healthy, active
SILVER TSUNAMI
independence to the most feeble and disabled;
from exceptionally wealthy to very low income. over 1/3rd of state,
Close to a million persons are expected to be nearly 10M people:
age 85 and older. Nearly all older individuals
over the age of 60
will have driver’s licenses. Notably, about a
million are likely to be living in poverty.

This Blueprint provides specific guidance and suggested improvements to housing
units and to the environment in which homes are situated in response to these
extraordinary challenges, and opportunities. This diverse array of home, mobility
and community solutions is expected to help accelerate and broaden strategies and
approaches to foster optimal aging in place and quality of life for all elder Floridians.

The Department of Elder Affairs’ goals, objectives and strategies, vision and values
all support their mission to foster optimal quality of life for elder Floridians. This
Blueprint in particular supports the following goals and objectives:

Goal 1: Enable persons age 60 and older, their families and caregivers, to
experience a high quality of life through easy service access, home and
community-based supports and long-term care options. Objective(s):
30 September 2009 Page 1 of 62