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 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:
Housing Bureau for Seniors on Facebook
Housing Bureau for Seniors on Instagram
Statistical Background and Support:
- Affordable housing and area median income discussion
- Discussion of modifications and services
- Renter/homeowner older adult cost burden Washtenaw County
JCHS Study: Housing America's Older Adults 2023
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU. And each Monday, we explore issues of equity and opportunity in our community. I'm David Fair, and I'd like to welcome you to this week's edition of Washtenaw United. Our focus this week is safe and affordable housing for older residents--55 and over, to be specific. Fixed incomes can be an issue, and there are disparities in race and gender when it comes to homeownership and the ability to age in place. The number of older residents in Washtenaw County will only grow over the next few years. So, programs are in place to address the issue now and in the future. Our guest is among those working toward solutions. Yvonne Cudney serves as community outreach and education coordinator for the Housing Bureau for Seniors. It's a program run out of the University of Michigan Health Department of Community Health Services. And I really do appreciate your time today, Yvonne!
Yvonne Cudney: Thank you, David! Thanks so much for having the Housing Bureau for Seniors! We're very happy to be here!
David Fair: Well, how significant an issue is safe and affordable housing for older residents in Washtenaw County as we speak today?
Yvonne Cudney: It's a big issue! Washtenaw County has about 72,000 older adults, 60 and over. We have about 30,000 older adult households. And of those 30,000 older adult households, over 10,000 are housing costs burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing-related expenses. And that's an average of both renters and homeowners.
David Fair: So, obviously, affordable housing is an issue that impacts a good percentage of all people in all age groups. Is it more pervasive among the aging?
Yvonne Cudney: It is indeed, because older adult households tend to live--this is not always true because we're talking about 55 and up, so a lot of people are 55 to 65 or 67 are still working. But those above that age generally live on a fixed income. And so, as housing expenses rise, it becomes a lot more difficult for them to make ends meet.
David Fair: I mentioned in the open there are also race and gender disparities when it comes to housing for those 55 and older. How significant are those inequities?
Yvonne Cudney: They're very significant. In fact, the Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies have found that the homeownership gap between older Black and white households is persistently wide, exceeding 19 percentage points between 2015 and 2021. And of course, because of systemic inequities, older renter households are more likely to be headed by people of color. So, we focused a lot of our attention on areas that have higher populations of of the BIPOC community, which are the 48197 and 48198 zip codes.
David Fair: Our Washtenaw United conversation with Yvonne Cudney continues on WEMU's Washtenaw United. Yvonne works for the Housing Bureau for Seniors out of the U of M. We've started to identify the problems and maybe we should look at some solutions too. Each year, we have a greater percentage of people 55 and older in the county, and, by 2028 it's expected there will be more people of that age than the number of residents 18 and younger. Now, that indicates safe and affordable housing will only grow as a community issue. So, Yvonne, what is being done to address immediate need and with that eye towards increasing demand?
Yvonne Cudney: Yeah. So, the Housing Bureau for Seniors assists older adults, whom we define as 55 and over, with finding and maintaining sustainable, safe housing. So, we work with both homeowners and renters to try and keep them where they're currently housed because remaining where you're currently housed, in the long run, is much less expensive. And I think it becomes more traumatic to move as you age unless you're really wanting to downsize and can afford it. So, we really focus on keeping people in their homes as much as possible. We're hopeful with the senior millage that there will be more resources available to older adults to help them age in place.
David Fair: Yeah, the financing of that and how the money will be spent is under discussion, and they're looking at how to allocate that. But no decisions have been made at this point.
Yvonne Cudney: That is correct. The Board of Commissioners working group meeting was quite informative in terms of what they're thinking about, but no concrete decisions have been made yet.
David Fair: Well, aging in place is very important to a great number of older residents. And as you said, in the long run, it is likely less expensive to age in place. But is it increasingly difficult anymore for those who are on that limited and fixed income?
Yvonne Cudney: It is. It's very difficult. In fact, in Washtenaw County, about 44% of older adults are living alone. So, one, people are aging in place, often with just a single income, two, they're by themselves. And so, we need more resources to help people, one, not be socially isolated, two, quite possibly to help them age in place by providing services like shopping, help cleaning and cooking. Snow shoveling and lawn maintenance are also very difficult for older adults.
David Fair: The price of retirement communities and senior living centers has increasingly become prohibitive, sometimes just completely out of reach altogether. What is being done for those who can't afford to age in place or aren't in physically good enough shape to do so to move into one of these residential or assisted living facilities?
Yvonne Cudney: Exactly! So, a lot of people talk about wanting to age in place. In fact, the AARP has done several studies, and they found that somewhere between 75 and 85% of older adults want to age in place. But while that might be true, many, many older adults financially have to age in place because retirement communities can be upwards--this is a less expensive one--but $3500 to $4000 a month.
David Fair: And that is still on the lower end, right?
Yvonne Cudney: That is very much on the lower end. So, with the senior millage, it's hopeful that we'll find more ways to help people age in place by providing them services and hopefully some home modifications, including grab bars, porch repairs, electrical outlets to reduce fall risk. So, there's all kinds of home repairs that are currently being considered by the Board of Commissioners. And hopefully, that will improve people's ability to age in place.
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU's Washtenaw United, and we're talking safe and affordable housing for older residents in Washtenaw County. Our guest is Yvonne Cudney, who is community outreach and education coordinator for the Housing Bureau for Seniors. Yvonne, how do you define "aging justice"?
Yvonne Cudney: Aging justice is a framework that I first became familiar with through the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation's Root Cause Report. It's a framework in which we view older adults as community assets. We value their experiences, and we ensure that everyone, regardless of age, has a healthy and fulfilling experience throughout the community. So, it's a lot about in all being engaging older adults in our community conversations and recognizing that they exist and that they have needs.
David Fair: So, taking it beyond conversation and taking it back to some of the action that we've discussed, simply defining a person is complex. And when we talk about aging assistance, it's not just the financial, it's not just the physical or the emotional, it's the overall well-being that comprises the unique individuality of each of us. So, with so many of us entering this phase of life, how can we better design programs moving forward for people and not for population numbers?
Yvonne Cudney: So, yes, the aging population is very diverse, right? And so, I think that those are conversations where we purposely engage the community and maybe it's going out to senior centers to talk to people who go to senior centers. It's also being aware that many older adults aren't engaged in senior centers and how do we conduct outreach to them to find out what their needs and their desires are.
David Fair: Nobody wants to be put in the position where they have to reach out and ask for assistance. There are a whole lot of people, though, that live paycheck-to-paycheck right now and are about to enter that 55 and older age block. What preparations should we be making now to ensure the opportunity for aging with grace and dignity?
Yvonne Cudney: So, there are a couple. One, this goes way back to early on that people should be saving money, right, as much as possible, which is not always possible for people who are living paycheck-to-paycheck or have a lot of familial needs, right? But it's also thinking about aging, listening in on conversations where people are talking about aging. We have a whole bunch of community agencies that deal with the older adult population and are very familiar with the financial and physical and emotional struggles of aging. So, I think, as a younger, older person, we should be participating in those conversations and becoming aware of some of the difficulties or some of the realities that we may face as we grow older. Because, hopefully, it's going to happen to all of us, right? And it's better to be armed with knowledge.
David Fair: And what's my move if I'm in need of immediate assistance?
Yvonne Cudney: Call the Housing Bureau for Seniors. We're very familiar with all of the housing resources here in Washtenaw County and resources, too, that are available beyond Washtenaw County. We can help you if you're thinking about planning out how your future may look. We can help you think through that. We're staffed by social workers who are both master's level and bachelor's level, and we can help you think about the variety of factors, take them into consideration and sort of map out where you want to go. And hopefully, you'll be able to do that.
David Fair: Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today, Yvonne! I appreciate it!
Yvonne Cudney: Thank you!
David Fair: That is Yvonne Cudney. She is community outreach and education coordinator for the Housing Bureau for Seniors. It's a program run out of the University of Michigan Health Department of Community Health Services. If you'd like more information on our conversation and available services, we'll link you up. Stop by our website at wemu.org. We bring you Washtenaw United every Monday, and it's produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM, Ypsilanti. Celebrating 60 years of broadcasting from the campus of Eastern Michigan University!
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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