Sadly, even in a country as prosperous as the United States many of our elderly are left unprepared to support themselves during their golden years because they simply do not have enough money to quite literally pay the rent.
Thanks to senior citizen government subsidized housing our nation’s retirees living on Social Security as their primary means of income can live out their golden years without having to fear that they will be tossed out into the street.
Of all of the boondoggle programs from the federal government senior subsidized housing stands out as one that is actually beneficial to those that need it and I am grateful that such a program exists for those that truly need our help. The government got this one right!
Senior Citizen Government Subsidized Housing Requirements
In order to qualify for senior citizen subsidized housing the applicant has to be, well, a senior citizen. More specifically, they or their spouse has to be at least 62 years old, be able to take care of themselves with minimal help and there can be no children or grandchildren living with them.
The other primary factor in determining if an applicant is eligible for senior citizen government subsidized housing is their income levels as subsidized senior housing programs provided by HUD are only for those seniors that are truly in need of help.
An applicant is allowed to deduct any approved medical expenses from their income and the balance is then checked against a median wage table based on the state and county the person lives in. In densely populated areas the city can also be included in the table.
This table has the median wage for their respective geographic area and if they fall in the lower half or third (depending on the program) they will qualify for senior citizen government subsidized housing and the federal government will pay 70 percent of their rent and utilities as long as the senior lives in a complex that has been designated as low income senior housing.
Many people think that these living units are literally the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality and safety but in reality most of the senior housing units are in very good shape and completely safe to live in.
Yes, they might be simple in design and not have a lot of frills but they will be solid and some senior complexes will even have amenities like a recreation center for the seniors to gather to socialize and play games as well as additional services.
These services are often provided by local charitable or religious organizations and include meal delivery, light housekeeping and basic transportation to stores and medical facilities. Perhaps you have seen one of the minivans parked outside a grocery store with a group of senior citizens on board ready to go shopping for their week’s food.
The more desirable units, especially those in large urban areas, will often have a several year waiting period so if you are thinking of living in one of those units you should check to see how long the list is and plan accordingly.
One thing I would caution to anyone applying for senior citizen government subsidized housing is to read the lease agreement completely and if there is anything that you don’t understand ask a lawyer before signing the contract.