ABOUT YVONNE CUDNEY:
Yvonne Cudney has a JD and MPA. She is the Community Outreach and Education Coordinator for the Housing Bureau for Seniors, a program from University of Michigan Health Department of Community Health Services. Prior to this, she practiced law as a legal services attorney representing thousands of tenants in both Michigan and California. Her passion is access to safe, affordable housing for all. Safe affordable housing leads to improved mental and physical health – and is essential to healthy aging and living.
RESOURCES:
U-M Health Housing Bureau for Seniors
Housing Bureau for Seniors on Facebook
Housing Bureau for Seniors on X (Twitter)
Housing Bureau for Seniors on Instagram
Washtenaw County Income Limits & Affordable Housing Limits
Older Adults’ Preparedness to Age in Place
Healthy & Fulfilling Aging Systems Research Report for Washtenaw County
U.S. Census Bureau: Poverty Rate Status
Housing America's Older Adults 2023
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: Housing insecurity is a growing issue, and it is certainly impacting more of our aging population. Affordable housing--it's becoming more difficult to find for just about everyone in Washtenaw County, and that most certainly includes senior citizens. I'm David Fair, and welcome to this week's edition of Washtenaw United on WEMU. The high cost of ranch and property ownership often puts those 55 and older in a position to have to choose between housing or food, transportation and medication, or a place to live. Where can the affected turn for assistance? Well, Michigan Medicine's Housing Bureau for Seniors is the only agency in Washtenaw County exclusively serving older adults with housing related needs. Our guest today is Yvonne Cudney. And Yvonne is community outreach and education coordinator for the Bureau. Thank you so much for joining us today! I appreciate it!
Yvonne Cudney: David, thanks so much for having me this morning!
David Fair: Well, as I mentioned, Yvonne, housing and rental prices have spiked significantly in recent years. Just how big a toll has that taken on those who are 55 or older in Washtenaw County?
Yvonne Cudney: Oh my gosh! It is so difficult for older adults to find or maintain sustainable, safe housing in Washtenaw County. We estimate that about one third of older adults, so it's about 20,000 older adult households in Washtenaw County, about a third of those having a hard time making ends meet, paying more than one third of their income towards housing-related expenses.
David Fair: I can only imagine that such stressors have an impact on health and sense of well-being.
Yvonne Cudney: Very true. The Housing Bureau for Seniors is a part of Michigan Medicine's Community Health Services. We believe that stable housing is imperative for the physical and mental well-being of everyone, frankly, but for us specifically, older adults. And to that end, we inform and empower older adults and those who care about them by providing individualized assistance and resources to secure sustainable housing in Washtenaw County and beyond. Because if you don't have secure and sustainable housing, health outcomes tend to decrease. They tend to be worse.
David Fair: Now, housing is without question a social justice issue. Do you find that those in traditionally marginalized communities are more dramatically impacted?
Yvonne Cudney: Very much so. At the Housing Bureau for Seniors, 65% of our eviction and foreclosure prevention patients are women, and 96% of those women have lower incomes. And it goes without saying that a high percentage of those patients or clients are also women of color.
David Fair: Do we see the traditional Washtenaw County divide of U.S. 23--Ann Arbor to the west, Ypsilanti to the east--that more people are affected on the eastern side of the county?
Yvonne Cudney: Absolutely! And that's not true of just renters, but it's also true of homeowners. We're finding that about 44% of mortgage foreclosures in the county are occurring with older adults and on the eastern side of the county--the 48197/48198 ZIP codes.
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU's Washtenaw United. And we're talking with Yvonne Cudney from Michigan Medicine's Housing Bureau for Seniors. Yvonne, housing insecurity among the aging: obviously, already a problem. But I suspect it's about to get worse. As I understand it right now, more than 20% of Washtenaw County's population is over the age of 60. That number is expected to go up to 25% by the end of the decade. So, how do we go about accommodating an increase in services when the pace of creating more affordable housing is so slow?
Yvonne Cudney: Yeah. So, it goes without saying that safe and sustainable housing for older adults isn't just about the household and modifications that need to be made to households, but also services that are needed for older adults. As you mentioned, the older adult population is increasing quite drastically in Washtenaw County and, frankly, all over the country, as baby boomers continue to age. And we have more people living at home alone. We have a very high percentage in Washtenaw County, people who are aging in place because, frankly, they can't afford to go to assisted living communities. They need assistance with the activities of daily living, like eating, toileting and transferring. And they need access to household chore assistance, like mowing lawns and shoveling snow. And there's a lack of resources in Washtenaw County right now to be able to address all those needs. There is hope on the horizon here. The Board of Commissioners recently unanimously voted to put a senior millage on the ballot in November. That millage has the potential to address many of the needs that older adults have for assistance here in Washtenaw County.
David Fair: And it is a millage issue that we will focus on more intensely as we move towards November. But, yes, it has the potential to make a real difference for those who are aging in Washtenaw County. In the meantime, Yvonne, if a senior gets an eviction or foreclosure notice right now, then the problem is pretty well advanced. So, what kind of immediate help can the Housing Bureau for Seniors offer before it gets that far, so we don't have to face that particular issue?
Yvonne Cudney: Right. So, the Housing Bureau for Seniors assists older adults who are 55 and over with finding and maintaining affordable, sustainable housing and safe housing here in Washtenaw County. People can come to us at any point in their housing journey, and our services are free. People don't have to be Michigan Medicine patients to come to us. We help with triaging and linking them to other resources or helping them find housing, depending upon what someone's specific needs are.
David Fair: You said a magic word, and that was "free." and that can entice people who might otherwise not be inclined to ask for assistance. As you work to educate the community on the availability of these services, do you encounter those who are hesitant, be it a matter of pride or even shame?
Yvonne Cudney: Oh, very much so! We find a lot of older adults think that there are other people who need our resources more than they do. We emphasize to older adults that we're there for everyone, regardless of how much income they have, where they live, or what type of other resources they might need. Because we assist everybody, regardless of what their income is.
David Fair: Our Washtenaw United conversation with Yvonne Cudney continues on 89 one WEMU. She is community outreach and education coordinator for Michigan Medicine's Housing Bureau for Seniors. People are living longer, but that also means there are more incidents of dementia, Alzheimer's, any number of cognitive and physical issues. Can they stay in home and age in place with those significant issues?
Yvonne Cudney: It depends on how advanced those issues are. We are staffed by social workers. Most of our social workers are master's level social workers, and we will assist older adults and their care providers, whether it's their partner, whether it's their adult children, whether it's someone who just lives with them and cares deeply about them, with finding and accessing resources that may assist them to stay in the house. But, at some point, somebody with severe cognitive decline may have to move into some type of assisted living or nursing home or memory care community. But we help people come to those decisions on their own. We never force anybody to do something that they do not want to do.
David Fair: And that is part of the educational process as well. And with that in mind, every year, the Housing Bureau for Seniors put forth Senior Living Week. This year, it's going to be in October. It has proven a great educational opportunity about all that is available and an opportunity for people to learn about how to get connected to assistance services. Do you have a particular focus for this year's event?
Yvonne Cudney: Yes! This year, we do have a focus. Last year, it was on ageism. And this year, we're going to be focusing on solo agers. We will have a featured speaker. Doctor Sara Zeff Geber will be presenting on how to prepare to be a solo ager. And while it sounds like we're only addressing people who are currently on their own, these are important tools and things to think about for people, whether they're partnered or on their own currently.
David Fair: I among them. But there are a lot of us out there dealing with aging parents, and we want to work to be a part of the solutions that allow them to age gracefully, comfortably and with dignity. Seems to me, regardless of age, we could all learn about how better to prepare for our families and ourselves at Senior Living Week. Isn't it something that's open to all?
Yvonne Cudney: Yes, Senior Living Week is open to all. It kicks off with an expo or a resource fair on October 5th at the Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College from 9:30 until 1:30, where we'll have our featured speaker. It's free to everybody who would like to attend. You don't have to be a senior to attend. And then, it's followed by a weeklong series of educational presentations that are being held throughout Washtenaw County. And it's also important to note that it is sponsored by a number of senior living communities who also open their doors to the public, so that people who are looking to move into some type of senior living community or their adult children can go and take a look around at those communities and see if it be someplace that Mom or Dad might be interested in living.
David Fair: That sounds fantastic! You know, they say it tells a lot about a community about how well children are treated and the elderly are treated. And hopefully, we're on the right path. And thanks to the Housing Bureau. A lot of work is being done to improve that situation. Thank you so much for your time and sharing the information today, Yvonne!
Yvonne Cudney: Thank you! Thanks again so much for having me this morning!
David Fair: That is Yvonne Cudney. She is community outreach and education coordinator for Michigan Medicine's Housing Bureau for Seniors. And she's been our guest on Washtenaw United. For more information on the Bureau and its services, stop by our website at wemu.org. We'll get you everywhere you need to go. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. And you hear it every Monday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti.
UWSEM STATEMENT:
This year, Housing Bureau for Seniors received a $10,000 award from United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Power of the Purse Fund—an investment that supports existing and emerging agency programs and initiatives that increase the financial capability of people who identify as women.
Funding will enable housing stabilization supports to women ages 55+, and ensure they age in their homes with dignity.
At Housing Bureau for Seniors, 66% of their eviction and foreclosure prevention patients/clients are women and of those 96% have low incomes (less than $50,000 a year for a single person). Every year, United Way hosts the Power of the Purse event, which showcases the work of grantees and generates funds for future grantees.
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
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