New Harvard report shows record number of senior citizens are struggling to afford basic housing – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

A new report from Harvard recently showed a record number of senior citizens are struggling to afford basic housing. 

The report came from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Already facing a problem, experts warn the issue is going to get worse as the Baby Boomer generation turns 80 in the coming years.

The country, experts say, might not be prepared.

“Older adults are more likely to be what we call housing cost burdens,” said lead report author Jennifer Molinsky in a recent interview. “They’re paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing at older ages. So, we have a population that’s aging. Baby Boomers are now in their late 70s, on the cusp of turning 80. And, already we have about a third of older households paying that 30 percent or more of their income for housing.”  

“That’s 11.2 million people,” Molinsky said. 

Molinsky said the next few years are when the need for housing services is going to increase.

As the need increases, Molinsky said “There’s lots the federal government could do in terms of funding.”

“I think at a state and local level, we simply need more housing options,” Molinsky said. 

New housing options, according to Molinsky, could take the form of accessory dwelling units or options like small multi-family developments.

“That’s the kind of thing that is not entirely in local governments’ control,” Molinsky said. “But they have a lot of say over it in terms of zoning.”

The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report found only 13 percent of older adults could move into assisted living without dipping into their savings, with millions of seniors spending a third or even half of their income on housing. 

Although there are programs in place in Massachusetts — including what Molinsky described as “robust” housing and personal care assistance programs, and home and community based service programs — researchers say just qualifying for a program isn’t enough.

“The problem is that neither of those are entitlement programs,” Molinsky said. “So, just because you qualify doesn’t mean you are going to receive it at a national level.” 

The recent housing report calls for lots of changes in housing policy. 

Among changes, the biggest request is to change zoning laws and allow more apartments to be senior friendly. 

“The decade ahead is going to be really important in terms of us getting some of these solutions to scale and inventing some others and getting them off the ground,” Molinsky said.

The recent study found mortgage debt among older adults is also rising, with 30 percent of homeowners above the age of 80 carrying a mortgage. That is up 3 percent from three years ago.