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HomeMy WebLinkAbout24-Community Services . c C I T Y ,.. o F s'-1. N B ERN A 'I(' DIN 0 INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM 8511-1001 TO: MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL FROM: ANNE RHODES, SUPERINTENDENT OF COMMUNITY SUBJECT: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM DATE: November 4, 1985 (6518) ~.~---".'" '~ , \ \ \ ~~.', J . ',. __,I :',;;;'E /<'~/ -<',/ ,,/ COPIES: Jack Matzer, City Administrator; Annie F. Ramos-Director of Parks, Recreation & Community Services At the Counci I meeting of August 19, 1985 lIthe report from the Community Services Department regarding the costs of preparing an analysis fot. the Shared Housirlg Program was reviewed. Staff was directed to check into the statistical foundation foe the Community Seevices study, deteemine why the State of Ca..' ifornia went fot-wat-.j with a shared housing program, hold hearings on the need for shared housing, and use survey techniques.11 To complete the report as requested the fol lowing steps were taken: 1. Infoemation was requested from the Cal ifornia Department of Housing and Community Development. 2. Pub lie Hear i ogs wet-e he I d at the San Bernat"d i no Sen i (It" C i t i zen Center and the High I and/De I Rosa Sen i or Centetp. :3. A quest i onna i re was deve loped and sent tel over 900 sen i e.r citizens. 4. Phone calls were made to the 2 existing Shared Housi fig Programs in Santa Ana & Los Angeles. This report wi II deal provide a summary. wi trl each step separately and then c2.y' . c - 8511-1001 " INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM November 4, 1985 Page <: STEP I: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT As i nd i cated in the attached I etter and fact sheet, the CDHCD ha.d no stat i st i c a I i nformat i on for the San Bet~nard i no a.t.ea. Ra.ther, their decision to fund Senior Citizens' Shat-ed Housing Programs was based on statewide information pet- the attached fact sheet. .. . C STATE OF CAlIFORNI,\ - '- -"" -' _i GEORGI: DfUKMEJIAN, GoW!fflOr DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Division of Community Affairs SENIOR CITIZENS SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM 921 Tenth Street, 2-G Sacramento, CA 95814-2774 (916) 324-7696 September 23, 1985 Ms. Anne Rhodes Superintendent of Community S-ervi ces City of San Bernardino 300 North "0" Street San Bernardino, CA 92418 Dear Ms. Rhodes: Your letter to William Evans was referred to me since I am now the Program Manager of the Senior Citizens' Shared Housing Program (SCSHP). While we don't have statistical information particular to your area, we do have information about how shared housing programs can be very useful in helping to so I ve seni ors' hous i ng problems. I am enc I os i ng an excerpt from a report whi ch describes housing problems faced by the elderly and solutions offered by shared housing. In addition I enclose a factsheet on the SCSH Program. While there are no funds available now, there is a strong possibility there will be additional appropriations made to the program. If you have further questions, please call me at (916) 323-6335. Sincerely, / - ( I " ; ( / / . , l 'c \, : ,_ U ')/t L Susan Kessler Program Manager SK: slm Enclosure - /" I.,... A. PROBLEM ,....... '-' ...,,,#. ."....J Today California's senior citizens face housing problems of crisis proportions. At present there are approximately 3,500,000 persons (or 14.4% of the population) 60 years of age or older and the proportion of elderly Californians steadily increases. A majority of elderly households are of low- or mOderate-income. Fifty- two percent of elderly households as compared to 27 percent of all households have incomes of less than $10,000. The elderly are the age group with the highest evidence of below poverty level incomes, and fixed incomes are a problem for all but a small percentage. The proportion of income which seniors pay for housing goes up as income goes down. Many elderly persons whose income is limited to Social Security benefits spend as much as 50% of their income on rent. For some seniors, the problem of locating decent affordable rental housing is primary. For elderly homeowners, there are rising expenses of home maintenance, utility bills, and taxes. Elderly homeowners are generally not recent homebuyers. They tend to occupy older homes, often in deteriorating neighborhoods, that are succeptible to major maintenance problems which the elderly may not be able to rectify. Many face the loss of their homes for financial reasons; others are forced out of their homes and into institutions prematurely because of security problems, lonliness, or an inabi lity to live entirely independently. Since the average household size for seniors is significantly smaller than for the younger population, elderly homeowners tend to "underut i lize" the homes in which they reside, which adds to the shortage c /,,~,..~, "'; ......; ..J '-' C. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES The objective of shared housing programs is to assist senior citizens to find shared housing arrangements. This objective results in the following benefits: reduced housing costs for program participants prevention of premature institutionalization - average cost of maintaining d sen-ior ciLizetl 'ill a lony-tenll CdY'e rdl.il ity IDr dyea( is $13~OOO. The average cost of matching home sharers is $100 - $200. increased security and companionship more effective use of under-used housing stock C:INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM Novembet. 4, 1985 Page 3 ,r' ..... ~11-1001 ........./ j STEP II: PUBLIC HEARINGS Public hearin:3s were held 9-23-:35 at Highland/Del Rosa Ce~ter and 9-24-85 at San Bernardino Senior Center. A (I f 42 5 e n i (I r 5 par tic i p a t,e'd and [ (I m pie t e d the 5 U r v e y . responses to key questions are shown below: Sen i or t(,tal Th e it' EYQllf_~g![ln3~_B~2Q2n2~ Do you think shared housing trle tlOUS jog shorta.ge? is an effective way of s(tlving Yes No Undecided 85;': ." ~.. In If you were to share your home or the home of another senior citizen, what would be your primary reason for dc,ing so? Safety 14% Compatibility 1:3;'; Companionship 20% To help each othet- 24;': Sharing expenses 25% Other 4% Would Y(IU considet- sharing your t-esidence with anothet- senior citizen with similar interests? Ye 5 t.O;': No 33~/; U r, d e c ide d 8;'~ Reasons for not sharing the home: 1. Wants to I ive with fami ly. 2. Ca.n hand Ie all expenses now. 3. USED TO BEING ALONE/PRIVACY, - ~INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM November 4~ 1985 Page 4 ~11-1001 '-/ ; STEP III: SURVEY 983 surveys were mai led to senior citizens. Lists used were the senior nutrition program, RSVP, sep, PAL & commodities pr(lgt-arns part i c i pants. 20:3 surveys wet-e romp I eted and returned. 42 surveys were completed and returned at the public hearings. SURVEY TOTALS Mai I ed out 983 Handed out at Pub lie Heat- i ngs 42 Totals 1,025 Retut"r,ed in Ma i I 20:3 (20/.) Returned at Pub lie Heat- i "gs 42 (04:0 T,)tals 245 (Z4;;~) SURVEY RESPONSES (MAILING & HEARINGS) I t-eceive: Soc i a I Secut- i ty Disability Veterans Benefits Ret i rement I am employed Q:tblll:l sp ec i fy Welfare SBP 44:< 9~"; 9;~ Z 4;/~ I\:-: 3/~ ~g~ Ma Ie: Female: No answer: 33;J~ 59;f~ 8;/~ ~:H below 50 05/. 50-60 18i: 61-75 7IE.-89 90 + ne, answer 59;': 10;'; .03;1; .05;'; I cut-rently live in: House/Condo Apartment Tra; ler park 64;'; 1 :3;'; 13;'; . c INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM NI)Vember 4, 1985 Page 5 1'" ~11-1001 ,0'., '-01 Mote I /Hote I Oth e ,- No answer 03;/: 03i: 03): Do You: Owrl Rent Othe t- 67:': 3D: 0:3 ~/: I live with: No one Relatives Husband/Wife Rc.ommate Other 4D: 13/: ~:6.,;J: 037'; 08i: Number of pet~sons in househol d: 1 44:': .. 44:,: :::: - 05;'; 4 - 0:3i: 5+- 05~/; Troub Ie mak i rig ends meet: Yes ':::'(:.1. No 51:< Occasionally 2~:i: Dc, you think shat-ed housing housing shortage? is an effective way to solve the Ves 671. N I) 1 t.:.i: Undec i ded 2M: If you were to share your home or the home of another senior citizen, wha.t would be YOUt~ prima.t~y t-eason fot- doing 50"'? Safety 13% Compatibility ';;i: Companionship 19% To help each other 35% Share expenses 22% Other 02% C:INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM November 4, 1985 Page 6 .1""- ~11-1001 "-/ Would you consider sharing your t~esidence with another seniot- citizen with similar intet-ests." Ves No 32% 681. Reasons for not sharing your home: 1. Currently I iving with husband and/or other- relatives. L. Residence too smal I. :3. Not something I want to do at this time. 4. Enjoy living alone. 5. Too many possible problems. 6. Too set in my ways/resistance to change. (Answers given most to above question were 2, 3 & 4.) ~INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM November 4, 19:=:f=i Page 7 ,. -.~ ~11-1001 ',.,."i STEP IV CONTACTS WITH EXISTING SENIOR SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM Phone calls were made to the directors of shared hOllS i rig programs operating in Southet-n California and receiving fund i fig ass j stance from the Ca I i fot~n i a. Department of Hous j rig and Community Development. They are the Westside Independent Services for Elderly in Los Angeles arlrj the Santa Ana. Shat-ea Hous i rig Pt-ogram. Both directors indicated that the development of sha.red housing for senior-s is a. slow process which requires considerable emphasis on outreach, public information as well as in-depth one-on-one and smal I group conta.cts. They pointed out that the concept of shared housing is very new and the aged in our society are not accustomed to sharing living quarters with unrelated persons. This lifestyle change is not insurmountable. It is merely slow and takes a concerted effort to overcome the fears and apprehensions. Successful matches were indicated to be a good source of a.dditional requests to participate. ~INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM: SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM Novembe," 4, 19:::5 Page ::: ~ / "', M'11-1001 -'-"'/ ~1,J~~8B!: A review of the information derived from the 4 steps indicates positive support fOt" shared housing as one pt-ocess to he I p t-e I i eve hous i fig prob I ems for some sen i Ot-S. The California Department of Housing and Community Development sees assisting seniors find shat-ed housing as one way !)f reducing housing costs, preventing pre-mature institutional- ization, prc.viding increased se[ut~ity and companionship and better ut i Ii zat i on of an underused hOllS i ng stock. A majority of the seniors surveyed bel ieve that shared housing is an effective way to solve the housing shorta.ge. 64;/~ (If the respondents I ive an a house Ot- condominium and over 401. of them t-eside alone. This indicates that thet~e may be undet*used space avai I ab Ie. Though a significant majot~ity stated they I,.,lould n(,t share the ir homes, it is interest ing to note that jf they wet*e to share, the main t-easons I,.,lould be to llhelp each otherll with sharing expenses and companionship not far behind. The pos it i ve t-esponse to a will i ngness to shat-e one' 5 home goes up significantly (60~) for those seniors participating in public hearings. We suspect this is due to the fact that they were ab I e to ask spec if i c quest ions wh i ch allayed their- fears and gave them an opportunity to disclJss practical benefits, potential problems and the specifics of the match- i og procESS. Those wh(, attended the hear i ngs had a chance to become more infot*med about the intt*i cae ies of shared housing and thus were more receptive. The contacts with existing programs and the I iterature support these same results - direct contact, individually Ot- in small groups prov i ding i nfot~mat i on about the pt-ogt-ams is a ma.jor factot- in making the program work. In summary, the information gained in these 4 steps coupled with our t*eport of 8-14-85 (attached) indicate that shat-ed housing is one viable altet*native to assist some serl i ors with hous i ng pt.OD I ems i nc I ud i ng a chance to live more ec(,nomically, have companionship, security 8; even some set-vices, i.e., tt-arrsportation, maintenance thus improving the quality of life. Shat-ed housing is not the solution fot* a I! sen i ors but thet-e is a potent i a I fot- marry sen i Ot-S to benefit from such a program. It is recommended that the Shared Housing Program be funded on a pi lot basis to be eval uated at t~le end of a one year peri od. t/~~-4d~ .~ NNE RHOD ES SUPERINTENDENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES AR:rng attachmerrts- Survey letter and form - - ~ITY OF SAN BEFQARDINO()~ MEMORANDUrA Subject Date FrOITl Anne Rhodes, Supt. of Community Services To Honorable Mayor and Common Council Shared Housing Program Report Approved Date August 14, 1985 This report from Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department regarding the shared housing program was continued from the July 15th meeting to the August 19, 1985 meeting of the Mayor and Common Council. Per your request, this report involves an analysis of the need for shared housing and analysis of the programatic impact effect of the Inland Mediation Shared Housing Program. I. Analysis of Need Based upon 1980 Census figures the population those age 60 and older is as follows: CHARACTERI STI C NUMBER Total City Population Seniors 60 + Females Males 117,490 19,240 11 ,426 7,814 Low Income Seniors 3,559 6,000 857 Seniors Living Alone Seniors living w/non-related persons Total seniors in occupied housing Snr's in owner occupied housing snr's in non-owned homes Snr's wino available vehicle 10,032 7,099 2,933 2.772 of seniors, PERCENT 16 59 41 18 31 04 71 29 28 In addition, the Area Office on Aging's Area Plan for fiscal years 1983-1986 revision dated Dec. 1, 1984 summarized what senior citizens feel are their most critical needs. Senior Citizens ranked housing No.1 in 1983-84 and No.4 in 1984-85. As indicated above, 6,000 or 31% of our senior population resides alone, the majority being females. Also, 3,559 (18%) are low income and 2,772 or 28% have no available vehicles. Some reasonable assumptions can be drawn from the above data. 1. There are potentially 3,559 seniors who could benefit from the financial relief of shared housing. 2. There are potentially 6,000 seniors who could benefit from the social relief of shared housing. 3. Seniors, themselves have identified housing as a primary need. In summary, the high.cost of maintaining a home, i.e., occupancy, utilities, upkeep and maintenance, coupled with the social isolation c, .,." 0 II ., HIE .:MDV:E - c - - ,r '\ ...... ,,/ '", --' ~lemo Shal'ed Hous i ng Progl'am Report page 2 often faced by seniors living alone and lacking transportation and lacking the safety of living with someone are factors which, \'Ihen added to the numbet's of persons with those characteristics supports the need for shared housing as one alternative to senior housing problems. The proposal submitted by the Diocese of San Bernardino-Cathol ic Charities is dij'ected towards the housing needs of seniors and appears workable. II. Impact of the Inland Mediation Shared Housing Progran The Inland Mediation Board has decided not to pursue a shared hous- ing program due to difficulties in obtaining the necessary insurance. Therefore, the shared housing program, proposed by Catholic Charities will be the only one serving the City of San Bernardino. Staff recommends approval. './ ~!l:-:/I~'>tJ \.- . _ . " v ; / . . .",' ANNE RHODES .~ ! SUPERINTENDENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES AR:mg . c ,1',"-... - ~- ,. ,.,- CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO 300NORTH"O"STREET,SANBERNAROINO,CALlFORNIA 92418 EVLYN WI LCOX Mayor Members of the Co!":",mcr. Council Esther Estrada. . . . . . . . . . . . . First Ward Jack Reilly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second Ward Ralph Hernandez. . . . . . . . . . . Third Ward Steve Marks. . . . . . . . . . . . . Fourth Ward Gordon Quiel . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fifth Ward Dan Frazier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sixth Ward Jack StrIckler. . . . . . . . . . . .Seventh Ward September 19, 1985 Dear Neighbor, The City of San Bernardino is currently exploring the need for shared housing as a possible solution to the current shortage of affordable housing for senior citizens. Shared housing is a program whereby interested senior citizens are carefully matched with senior citizens who wish to share their home and expenses. This will allow many senior citizens the opportunity to live in more suitable housing and to have the companionship of another person. To help us determine the need for this kind of program we ask that you complete the enclosed survey. Please complete and mail back at your earliest convenience in the stamped, self-addressed envelope. Thank you for your kind assistance. enc. AR:mg ~ ....... ~"" -, SHARED HOUSING QUESTIONNAIRE ~!;;~ _____Male Female 8!;!!;;_____Be low 50 _____50- 60 _____61-75 76-89 I receive: (Check all that apply) _____Social Security _____D i sab i I i ty _____Veteran's Benefits _____Retirement _____1 am currently employed _____other, please specify I currently live in a(n) _____House/condominium _____Apartment _____ Tra i I er Park/Mob i I e Home _____Motel/Hotel _____Other, please specify Do you _____own _____rent _____other, please specify I live with: _____No one _____Relatives _____Husband/Wife _____Roomate _____other, please specify How many peop I e live in your household? Do you have trouble makins ends meet? _____yes _____No _____Occas i or,a II y 1.., '-, -- .,~ Do you think shared housing is an effective way of the housing shortage? solving _____yes _____No Undecided If you were to share your home or the home of another senior citizen, what would be your primary reason for doing so? _____Safety _____Compatabi I i ty _____Companionship _____To help each other _____Sharing expenses _____other, please specify Would you consider sharing your residence with another senior citizen with similar interests? _____yes No If no, please tell us why not ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- If you would I ike more information about shared housing for Senior Citizens please fill in the information below, if not, leave blank. Name --~------------------------------------------------------ Address ------------------------------------------------------ City__________________________~______Zip Code Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.