This 2006 presentation was made during the University of Georgia's Conference on Aging, held in the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.

1. OLDER AMERICANS AND RESIDENTIAL
STABILITY:
Maintaining Livable Communities Through
the 21st
Century
Produced by: Andrew Carswell, University of Georgia
UGA Conference on Aging
Cobb Galleria – Atlanta, GA
May 15, 2006

2. Issues To Be Covered
• Housing Affordability/Lending Issues
• Eminent Domain
• Mortgage Fraud
• Neighborhood Associations
• Home/Residential Design
• Transportation Issues/Proximity to
Services

3. Housing Affordability for Older
Americans
The Renter Population
• Older homeless could
be as high as 80,000
(Burt et al, 2001)
• Rental cost burden
prohibitive for older
populations
• Additional concerns
for MF operators as
well
Source: www.architypes.net

4. Housing Affordability
Rental Cost Burdens
Source: www.nlihc.org

5. Housing Affordability for Older
Americans
The Homeownership Option
• >80% of older persons
are considered HOs
(Golant, 2003)
• Most HO’s reluctant to
“cash out” on existing
home (Venti & Wise,
2001)
• Still, a lot of “cash poor,
house poor” HO’s
(Golant, 2003)
• Growth of RAMs as a
housing finance vehicle
Source: research.edm.luc.ac.be

6. Targeting Older Americans
Predatory Lenders
• Contrasted with
“subprime” industry
• Examples of abuses
• Implications for older
adults
• Methods of
addressing predatory
lenders
Source: http://www.occc.state.tx.us

7. Panacea for Elderly Housing Cost Concerns
The Housing Counselor
• RAM/HECM
counseling
• Predatory lending
• Fair housing
• Default/delinquency
• Other types
Source: www.reversepro.com/3pro.jpg

8. Housing Costs for Americans 50+
Source: http://www.cmcgc.com/media/handouts/260126/SAT-PDF/680-Kochera.PDF

9. Source: http://www.cmcgc.com/media/handouts/260126/SAT-PDF/680-
Kochera.PDF

10. Eminent Domain – Implications for the
Elderly?
Source: http://redstatepatriot.com/brookins.jpg

11. Eminent Domain Concerns Regarding Older
Americans
• Kelo decision –
Summer 2005
• AARP files amicus
brief supporting
limitations on eminent
domain
• Increasing number of
cases involving older
communities
Source: www.gamepolitics.com

12. Source: FBI

13. Economic Consequences of
Mortgage Fraud
• Falsely escalated property
values
• Increases in property taxes
and home owner’s insurance
• Increases in foreclosures
• Neighborhood decline
Source: Sarah Gillespie

14. Neighborhood Consequences of
Mortgage Fraud

15. The Importance and Evolution of
Community Organizations…
• Devolution of
government services
• Strengthening of
neighborhood orgs.
• Becomes all the more
important over time
• Still concerns for
older neighborhoods
Source: http://www.gao.gov

16. …To Counter a Decline In
Neighboring Nationwide
• Membership in social
orgs. declining over time
• These orgs. are less
grass roots in nature
• Activities of neighborhood
orgs. have evolved
• These orgs. helpful, but
not entirely necessary for
building social capital
Source: www.bowlingalone.com

17. The Tie-In Between Community Strength and
Personal Satisfaction
Source: Kochera, Andrew. (2005). A Report to the Nation on
Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful
Aging. AARP: Washington, DC.
Source:
http://www.cmcgc.com/media/handouts/2601
26/SAT-PDF/680-Kochera.PDF

18. The Tie-In Between Community Strength
and Personal Satisfaction