Two local families develop three new senior projects

What's new in senior housing?

Other ways to live

Housing I&A

Mary Beth Wolford comes to lead HSRC

New senior softball leagues forming

United Family Courts best serve families and children

Can you spring for library taxes?

The politics of aging

Welcome to Azalea Hall and Senior Expo

Plus in this issue catch more news, opinions, features, book reviews, and event calendars.

Pick up a copy today! Better yet, subscribe and never miss an issue!

"We are worried. The aging population will double by the year 2020. Unfortunately, two thirds of the people who need low income housing don't have a prayer." Scary words from Bob Morelli of the Humboldt County Housing Authority.

For the people this affects that's not an abstract report. It will shape the way they live 15 or 20 years of their lives. Subsidized housing is already in such demand there are waiting lists of seven years in Seattle, four years in San Mateo, two years here in Eureka, with a closed list for Section 8 housing here because the wait is already four years long.

Perhaps now is the time for us to go back to the era when we did for ourselves. In other cities some innovative programs have been in place for years. They show us some directions to explore. Some are suitable for individuals or a small group without agency sponsorship.

In 350 cities across the country, the Home-sharing program matches seniors who have homes larger than their needs or capability to maintain with people who want companionship and a safe home atmosphere. Extensive screening takes place, with a checking of references and police records. When both people are interested, a meeting is arranged. From then on, it's up to them, though help with problems is available. Often it is an answer for a single parent and a senior whose family is far away. It becomes home and family to both. It could be done by individuals or church.

Another growing program is group shared living. Four, five or six people move into a house or apartment new to all of them. They have separate bedrooms, share the living quarters and home responsibilities. They function as an autonomous household. San Mateo has built a new six-bedroom house for this program. It too is an arrangement that fosters a feeling of family and helps maintain independence. At a time when some capabilities are diminishing, everyone doesn't have to do everything. A household can be structured to cover all the needs, using each person's skills. A few people could do this by themselves.

People are, more and more, seeking community on a small, personal scale. Several people have placed mobile homes on a piece of land, sharing maintenance, tools and holiday celebrations. In Washington state 14 people rented all the cabins in a semi-rural motel. They built a meeting room, ate communally several times a week, shared a workshop and a garden. Older people helped single parents, became surrogate grandparents. Younger ones did the heavier work.

The future may mean some revision of our housing habits. It is certainly prudent to start planning before the need arrives. But the shape of the change can be up to us if we accept that we need to take care of ourselves, and are willing to explore some new ways.

One-time article Copyright 1998 by Humboldt Senior Resource Center.