As David Close, 70, showed off his piano skills, two other seniors played a little nine-ball. An early supper was under way and the late diners were beginning to fill the lobby of this downtown Sacramento seniors-only apartment building. "I love it here," said Josephine Stephens, 71, who for the last two years has lived in a quaint little room of Park Place, a converted hotel across from Capitol Park. "We're all low-income. I couldn't afford any more." With the senior population set to explode in Sacramento County, advocates for the aging say local officials must not delay planning for the boom.
From health care to housing, demographers have urged society to prepare for a post-World War II population surge. And while senior housing is popping up throughout the region – from West Sacramento to Roseville – experts say more will be needed. A recent report by the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission highlights the need for additional senior housing. "Failure to adequately plan for and meet the housing needs of older adults can result in needless institutionalization or homelessness of older adults, and severe economic consequences for our community," writes the commission's chair Peggy Forseth-Andrews.
By 2040, officials expect the county's senior population to be three times greater than 2000. The report urges local governments to adopt policies that anticipate growing demand and help seniors remain independent as long as possible. "We really need to prepare for the aging boom," Forseth-Andrews said in an interview. "We have been talking about it for years, and now it's here."
Most area municipalities have policies requiring developers to either contribute to or build affordable housing. Those policies add to the senior housing stock. But when it comes to senior housing, Forseth-Andrews said it's vital it be built to accommodate them, and be located near other services and transit options. In West Sacramento, construction is under way that will add 120 senior apartments to The Rivers development. The project by St. Anton Partners will be the company's 11th senior project in Northern California. In Roseville, the nonprofit corporation Eskaton is winning praise for its planned Eskaton Roseville Manor – a senior-only complex with 49 one-bedroom units. The apartments, designed for active seniors, have extra-wide doorways and lower countertops. The $9.7 million project utilizes a $5.8 million federal Department of Housing and Urban Development grant. An additional $500,000 and a bridge loan is being offered by the city of Roseville.
Cathy Sailor, a director of operations for Eskaton, said the housing won't take long to fill. "There is always a waiting list," Sailor said. "No sooner than we get them built, they're full." In Sacramento, a partnership between the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, CFY Development and Globe Mill Investors LP is closing in on turning the historic mill into 112 senior apartments and 31 market-rate lofts. Seniors are good tenants, said Cyrus Youseffi, who specializes in building senior housing. It makes good business sense and it's a good social cause, he added.
Utilizing a federal tax credit program, Youseffi said he can offer the apartments to those who meet income and age requirements. Those units, 550- to 580-square feet, rent for as low as $380 a month. Youseffi said the senior apartments, designed by architect Michael Malinowski, focus on community and security. "I'm not using a Taj Mahal," Youseffi said. "It's functional, affordable and secure."
John Foley, executive director of Sacramento Self Help Housing, agreed there is an increasing need for senior housing, but he cautioned that there is a greater need to provide for people on the edge of homelessness. "If some
Source: sacbee.com