This article is part of Times Opinion’s Holiday Giving Guide 2024. Read more about the guide in a note from Opinion’s editorslot machine jackpot, Kathleen Kingsbury.
There’s no place like home for the holidays, as the old song goes. At this time of year in particular, Americans want to gather in the spaces and places dear to them.
But thanks to a nationwide shortage of housing, more and more people are struggling to find a place to call home — or to stay in the home they have long loved. This problem cuts across demographic lines, but it can be a special challenge for low-income seniors, whose ranks are ballooning as the baby boomer generation grays.
Most housing in the United States wasn’t developed with aging in mind. People don’t usually think about wheelchair ramps, walk-in showers, stair railings or grab bars in a home — until they desperately need them. Only an estimated 10 percent of the nation’s housing stock is considered senior-friendly.
Compounding the challenge, the housing stock is aging and sliding ever further into disrepair. Even minor modifications can be daunting and expensive. Nearly a third of households headed by seniors are cost-burdened, meaning that more than 30 percent of their income is eaten up by housing costs. That number is growing fast. So is the number of seniors falling into homelessness — a trend expected to continue for decades.
In my reporting on aging, I have come across several nonprofits focused on keeping seniors in their homes. One effort that stood out was Habitat for Humanity International’s Aging in Place program. It follows a holistic housing-plus model, which means it looks at issues beyond just the physical structure of the home. A health or social services provider assesses individuals’ needs based on their daily routine. A construction specialist determines what home repairs are called for. The organization works to connect the person with community services such as meal delivery and medical care.
Holiday Giving Guide 2024 Holiday Giving Guide 2024A running series from Times Opinion writers on where they thinkyour charitable giving can help most this year.
A running series from Times Opinion writers on where they think your charitable giving can help most this year.
Nicholas Kristof Gift Ideas That Push Back the Darkness 
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Zeynep Tufekci A Great Idea for People With a Terrible Disease: Let’s Find a Cure Ourselves 
Tressie McMillan Cottom How to Help Those Still Devastated by Hurricane Helene 
Michelle Goldberg Supporting Local News, and Doctors Taking a Risk 
Jessica Grose A Job and Community Transform Refugees’ Lives 
David French ‘I Was a Stranger, and You Invited Me In’ 
Peter Coy How You Can Help People Get Good Jobs 
Michelle Cottle Seniors Need Our Help to Stay in the Homes They Love 
Charles M. Blow Serving the Innocent Children of Incarcerated Parents 
Pamela Paul This Holiday Season, Give Someone a Second Chance 
Lydia Polgreen In These Dark Times, Stand Up for Human Dignity We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
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