SILVAR  :  Newsroom  : Real Estate Articles

Real Estate Articles

Senior Group Residence Program Makes Miracles Happen for Seniors


Image about Senior Group Residence Program Makes Miracles Happen for Seniors

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

With just three full-time staff and eight active board members, Bob Campbell, executive director of Senior Housing Solutions, told members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® that the Senior Group Residence Program has been successful in developing safe, affordable housing and creating opportunities that enhance the ability of seniors to live healthy, high quality lives.

The program's mission is simple, Campbell said, "to develop affordable housing to help extremely low-income seniors improve their quality of life."

Senior Housing Solutions is a non-profit organization that aims to provide seniors whose annual income is $22,000 or less with safe, affordable housing and supportive services that enable them to live independently in a shared housing environment. Campbell said residents pay 30 percent of their income for rent and "home share."

Home sharing is an innovative housing strategy the organization developed for seniors with low incomes. The program began in the mid-1980s when the organization rented a six-bedroom house in San Jose, furnished the common areas of the house, installed phone and cable television, and rented the rooms at affordable rates to seniors. It took off and has been very successful.

Today, Senior Housing Solutions manages 37 units of affordable housing for seniors in San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Campbell, Saratoga and Los Gatos. The program is open to low income seniors, age 60 and over, who can live independently in a group setting.

The average age of current residents is 73 years and their average monthly income is $885. Campbell said their oldest resident is 89 years old and has been living in one of the group homes for 19 years. The cost to live in a Senior Housing Solutions shared home, including rent, utilities, phone and cable TV averages $265 per month.

"We are making miracles happen for seniors in our community," Campbell said.

Campbell said the senior population in Santa Clara County is growing, and so is the number of seniors struggling economically, limiting their ability to function independently and live with dignity. There are approximately 179,000 seniors age 55 and over who live in Santa Clara County and have annual incomes below $22,000; 25 percent of seniors who are 65 and over live alone, which can lead to social isolation and depression. The Senior Group Resident Program has proven effective in providing seniors affordable housing plus an environment of community with other seniors.

He explained the senior group home program is an answer for low-income seniors who do not want to be a burden to their family. Not only does the program enable them to live independently at low cost, but living with others in one house provides them with the opportunity to interact with each other, so they feel less isolated, more active, less depressed. Housemates become good friends and provide each other with support, companionship and security in case of emergency.

Each senior has a private bedroom and shares the common areas of the home. They share the living room area and kitchen. Every quarter the housemates meet with a social worker and discuss rules, management of the home and take part in conflict resolution. Residents have access to health services through the social worker.

These homes are located in single family residential neighborhoods, "so our seniors stay pretty connected to neighbors," Campbell said.
Campbell said funding for Senior Housing Solutions comes from rental proceeds, donations from individuals and foundations, corporations RDAs and BMR funds, subsidies and grants from the cities of Campbell, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and the County of Santa Clara.

Campbell said the program has been so successful that there are 160 people on the waiting list. The average wait is about six months. Residents of the community in which the house is located have priority.

The organization currently has nine houses and will soon be purchasing a home in Cupertino and another home in Milpitas.

For more information about Senior Housing Solutions and the Senior Group Resident Program, visit http://www.srhousingsolutions.org/


The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

» Back to Real Estate Articles

Site Navigation