Low Cost Senior Living: Find Your Perfect Home Today
Affordable housing is a priority for everyone responsible for paying rent or a mortgage. Homes are generally only rented to tenants who meet specific income requirements. Banks only loan money for mortgages to borrowers capable of proving a qualified job and financial history. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics states as of September 2020, Americans spend an average of over thirty-three percent of their monthly income on housing. What can seniors on a fixed income do when they need to find new housing, especially without any savings?
The last fifteen years have been challenging. Many seniors lost their savings and are still not fully recovered from the financial crash of 2008. Add to those residual struggles the current financial crises caused by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the result is an inability for people of retirement age to afford normal housing. Moving in to a low cost residence is simply a necessity for some U.S. senior citizens, and this poses additional emotional challenges. The first is letting go of attachments to former homes. The second is finding a new home they feel is just as comfortable and perfect as the last.
Low cost senior living is available. It is possible to find a perfect, affordable home today. Budget-friendly residences for people 55 and over are located in pleasant, senior communities. There are perfect homes for independent seniors as well as people needing assistance with medical and daily living situations. Searching for affordable new housing for seniors is easy due to online search directories and modern technology. Read on to learn about low cost senior living and find your perfect home today.
Types of Low-Budget Senior Housing Available in 2020
Low-budget senior housing is not limited to one type of facility. It is also not limited to one type of resident. Senior citizens have a personalized variety of needs and lifestyles and there is low-budget senior housing available for most situations. Understanding what types of low-budget senior housing is available in 2020 is the first step in finding your perfect home.
A person can be considered a senior citizen at the age of 55 even though the present, official retirement age is 66. This means many seniors are still active, independent and working. 55+ communities feature single-family homes, group activity centers, swimming pools and more. Official residents must be a minimum age or above, although younger family members are sometimes also allowed under qualified conditions.
55+ communities are similar to many other communities albeit on a smaller scale. They also tend to have more neighborhood regulations, which are designed to maintain a pleasant living experience and safe environment for every resident. Additional types of low-budget senior housing are available for both independent and assisted living.
Low-Budget Senior Living Apartments
Group housing is not limited to seniors requiring assistance with medical and daily activities. There are low-budget apartment buildings designed for fully or mostly independent seniors. These buildings are often owned privately but can also be funded by government programs at the local, state and federal levels. Other low-budget apartment types for seniors are actually owned by the senior residents themselves. These cooperative apartment corporations are capable of offering low-budget rent prices because all owners share the maintenance and upkeep expenses.
Low-budget senior apartments are often built in convenient locations near public transportation, commercial shopping complexes and medical facilities. This allows residents who can no longer operate a vehicle to maintain some independence, while still living next door to people with similar lifestyles and needs. In-home nursing and other services are available for those needing a little more assistance. Where do seniors live who need daily help with medical and physical limitations?
Low-Budget Assisted Living for Seniors
Low-budget assisted living residences are available for seniors who lost a spouse, need help taking care of daily medical and physical issues and/or have no other family. These are group homes with some amount of medical staff always on duty. Medicaid and Medicare do not typically pay for permanent, assisted living expenses. There is other financial assistance available, however. HUD provides housing vouchers. Some seniors qualify for a low-income housing tax credit. Some assisted living homes receive financial aid from the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program.
How to Find Available Low-Cost Senior Housing
Finding available low-cost senior housing is relatively easy in modern times. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft Bing are household names. It is possible to find numerous qualified results by simply entering a search query for low-cost senior housing and a zip code.
Church organizations also provide low-cost senior housing options. There are many affordable residences organized and run by the Good Samaritan Society. NationalChurchResidences.com is another church-run organization providing low-cost housing for seniors in the United States. Many times residents are not required to also be church members to qualify.
It is also possible to contact someone at Social Services to help find low-cost housing. Each state has is own Social Services programs capable of assisting with some guidance and information. There are also specific online search directories for low-cost senior living available.
Specific Online Search Directories for Low Cost Senior Living
SeniorLiving.org offers general search directories for low-cost senior living as well as ones specifically designed for finding apartments. While sites such as Google provide great overall options, other search directories focus on more details important to helping find your perfect low-budget, senior home. Other, specific online search directories for low-cost senior living include:
