ABOUT AMANDA CARLISLE:
Amanda Carlisle has been the Executive Director of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance (WHA) since 2014. In her role as Executive Director, she works to create greater efficiencies in the homeless response system, advocates for resources and effective policymaking from local, state, and federal entities, and works to expand affordable housing options and services.
Prior to joining the WHA, Amanda served as Program Coordinator for the Homeless Action Network of Detroit (Detroit, MI) and as Director of Projects for the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness – which is now called All Chicago (Chicago, IL). She holds a master’s degree in urban planning & policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.A. in Political Science from Clemson University.
RESOURCES:
Washtenaw Housing Alliance (WHA)
WHA Shared Housing Program Contact Info (Danielle Bryant)
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and welcome to this week's edition of Washtenaw United. This is our weekly exploration of equity and opportunity in our community. Today, we're going to look into the housing challenges that low-income members of our community face, including our aging members. The Washtenaw Housing Alliance is among those working to overcome the challenges of a lack of affordable housing, increased financial demand, particularly for those on fixed incomes. And, of course, there is a growing desire among seniors to peacefully age in place. Amanda Carlisle is Executive Director of the Alliance and our guest on Washtenaw United today. And thank you for making time, Amanda! I appreciate it!
Amanda Carlisle: Thank you for having me this morning!
David Fair: We have repeatedly heard that a "silver wave" is coming in Washtenaw County. The projections show one in every four residents being a senior citizen by the year 2030. That's 25% of the population in less than five years. With that in mind, how well prepared do you think we are at this point?
Amanda Carlisle: Yeah, I think as it relates to our housing or our housing stock, we're not as well prepared as we could or should be. And so, the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, my organization, has really taken on a new program to address some of the housing needs that our older adults in Washtenaw County will have in the years to come, including how they will be able to age in place in their existing homes and really trying to encourage supports brought to them in their homes.
David Fair: I do want to point out the Washtenaw Housing Alliance is a coalition of more than 25 nonprofits working to end homelessness and create more affordable housing, among other related services. What percentage of our senior citizens would fall into that lower-income category?
Amanda Carlisle: Yeah, yeah. We definitely know that there's nearly half of our older adults in Washtenaw County are struggling, either by affordability in housing, living precariously in housing or being able to successfully age in place.
David Fair: We have a number of potentially even bigger challenges coming our way. There's an expectation of cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, the potential of cuts to Social Security, and the possibility that fund runs dry altogether. All the while, nonprofits are having a more difficult time of sustaining grant funding levels and philanthropic giving. How is that impacting how you even plan for the next few years?
Amanda Carlisle: Yeah, that's definitely a concern that we across our coalition of nonprofits and government partners working in the homelessness and affordable housing space are really concerned about. A lot of times, folks are deciding between sort of the ability to pay for their medicine or pay for housing or pay food and housing. And so, we're definitely concerned that any cuts to Medicaid or any cuts to SNAP benefits will directly affect people's ability to pay for housing and are really looking at how our creative ways and innovative ways and strategies that we can respond to what really looks like that sort of "silver tsunami" of folks that are aging and having more needs in their housing, as well as this possibility and likelihood that some of their health care needs and food security needs are not going to be met in the same ways that they have previously.
David Fair: This is Washtenaw United on 89.1 WEMU. We're talking with the executive director of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, Amanda Carlisle. Now, the median home price in Ann Arbor, somewhere around $550,000, in Ypsilanti, about $370,000. Rent for apartments and condominiums--pricey as well. Both communities are working to bring more affordable units of living online. But by almost all accounts, it's not happening fast enough. Is this where your Shared Housing for Older Adults program can really make a difference?
Amanda Carlisle: It is, yes. So, we definitely are so excited about some of the new affordable housing developments that are coming into the community. But we also know that there are existing bedrooms in housing, existing housing stock, that are not being utilized in our community. There's a mismatch. And we know that there are older adults who may have raised children. Those children have left the home, and they have room in their homes, to be able to have extra folks in their spaces and we also know that there are maybe young people, young adults, young families that also have extra spaces. The bedroom-to-body mismatch is there. And so, we're trying to fill that gap of trying to match people and two different households together in an existing housing structure to create more affordability in the community. Whether it's an older adult who has extra space in their home, they might be willing to rent or provide a living space and are comfortable sharing that living space with another person and maybe get some extra income, but also maybe get some extra supports at maintaining their housing: snow removal, mowing the lawn, helping with grocery shopping, all of those things that really would help an older adult stay in their home at the same time as living more comfortably and more affordably and providing that option to folks to be able to rent in the community in an intergenerational living environment and have that option for people that's not sort of in the private market. That's more affordable, that's in a home, a little bit of a different option for folks.
David Fair: Are there qualifications that have to be meant to participate in the Shared Housing for Older Adults program?
Amanda Carlisle: Yeah. Our shared housing program is really just a few different eligibility criteria. At least one of the households per our funding and per our goals for the program, at least one of their households has to be age 55 or older. So, that's likely to be maybe a homeowner that has extra space in their home. And then, the other things that we are looking for is just they have an extra space. They're interested in companionship or home help or just the extra income that comes with renting a room in their home. And they also do have to pass reference checks, an interview, a home visit, and a background check.
David Fair: I'm just curious. Do you have any sense of what kind of dent in the overall need for affordable living the Shared Housing Program can make for some of our older adults?
Amanda Carlisle: We do think that we can make a pretty significant dent. I think the last data that I saw were there are over 40,000 bedrooms that are available in Washtenaw County that aren't being used. Our program is starting small as we launch in August of 2025. We're looking to match 50 households in the first year of this program, so 25 shared housing matches amongst 50 households. But we have an idea, just in terms of right now, we've just opened up the program. And it looks like we have possibly sort of a five-to-one ratio of five people seeking the option of shared housing and looking to be a home seeker that has more affordable housing and one home provider that is opening their home to this program. And that is something that we have planned for and understand. And so, we've really started just with recruitment around the home providers and really trying to find a number of home providers that are willing to share their homes. But we think the potential is there that this could be not just for older adults, but to households that are looking to live in a co-sharing model. All of us probably at some point in our lives have had a roommate situation or lived in a family situation. And so, we're trying to make that more attainable for folks and by doing the matching and really looking at what are the characteristics that are going to make a good match. And then, hopefully, after the sort of pilot of this program, we can open it up more broadly to not just include at least one participant needing to be over the age of 55. That's the goal kind of down the line. But with the funding that we have and the interest that we have so far, we're really focusing on the older adult population at first.
David Fair: This kind of aging in place can really provide peace of mind, but I'm also curious. Do you have evidence that even health outcomes can improve when that peace of mind is achieved?
Amanda Carlisle: Yes! Yes, we do! Shared housing is a popular program on the West Coast, likely due just to the fact that housing is so expensive out in places like California. And we have seen from other programs and other research data that shared housing has the ability to improve people's outcomes, not only financially, but also their emotional well-being, their physical health. And so, we do expect and we are going to study as part of our shared housing program what those potential health outcomes, as well as financial outcomes, will be for our participants.
David Fair: Well, I know you are in specific right now looking for those willing to share their home. How can they get in touch with you to find out how to go about that?
Amanda Carlisle: Yes, thank you so much for asking! The Washtenaw Housing Alliance is online at WHAlliance.org. And if you go to WHAlliance.org/shared housing, you can look up our shared housing program, get in touch with Danielle Bryant, our shared-housing program coordinator. We also, if you just Google Washtenaw Housing Alliance Shared Housing Program, the first thing that pops up is our website. And there's an initial inquiry form right on the website. If you're interested in learning more about it and really potentially sharing your home, there's a inquiry form for folks to complete. But also, just reach out by email to Danielle, our shared housing program coordinator, and she would be more than happy to follow up and answer any questions, talk you through the program by phone, email, whatever your preference would be.
David Fair: And if you missed all of that, we'll have it all on our website at WEMU.org. And you can check in there, and we'll get you everywhere you need to go. Thank you so much for the time and information and conversation today, Amanda! I appreciate it!
Amanda Carlisle: Thank you!
David Fair: That is Amanda Carlisle, Executive Director of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance and our guest on Washtenaw United. This segment is produced in partnership with United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and you hear it every Monday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU-FM, Ypsilanti.
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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