ANSWERING THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING IN POUGHKEEPSIE: A COMMUNITY IMPERATIVE

Written by Christa Hines, President & CEO of Hudson River Housing

Since the dawn of the Covid era in early 2020, it’s no secret that the market has taken some big swings. The real estate market experienced some of its biggest highs in 2021 – for-sale and rental units both surged in cost – and now the country at large is experiencing an inventory shortage alongside pricing pressures. Here in the Hudson Valley, and in the City of Poughkeepsie specifically, housing availability is at an all-time low. In layman’s terms, there are simply not enough homes for city residents.

While the housing shortage is affecting all residents of the city, it’s hitting low-income households the hardest. The city poverty rate was approaching 27%, and that was in January 2020, before the pandemic hit. An analysis of census track data for the City of Poughkeepsie’s eight wards showed that city residents have some of the lowest numbers on the national index scales of economic security, education, health and well being and, you guessed it, housing. In fact, the Housing Stability Index of the city’s Main Street area is just 2 out of 100. With rents climbing quickly on what housing inventory is available, the problem will only compound if solutions aren’t created.

According to the City of Poughkeepsie Housing Needs Assessment (HNA), prepared for the city by the not-for-profit organization Pattern for Progress and the findings of which were released earlier this year, there is most certainly a need for additional affordable housing. The HNA report cites the high percentage of low- and moderate-income households that are presently burdened by housing costs, the long waiting lists for existing subsidized housing and rental assistance, and the rise in homeless population, as good evidence that the city desperately needs to produce more affordable housing. The HNA summed it up like this, “Without affordable and safe housing, residents of Poughkeepsie will continue to face challenges associated with health and overall life outcomes.”

Seniors – those residents aged 62 and older – are disproportionately affected by these bleak statistics and are especially vulnerable. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, senior citizens make up nearly 20% of the city’s population. And, according to a demographics trend report prepared by Moving Duchess Forward, the strategic, long-range transportation plan for the county, this population is expected to grow by nearly 20% by 2040. These seniors face a number of challenges, unique to them, which are difficult to overcome without housing designed specifically to meet their needs. Many seniors live on fixed incomes and housing where rents can increase without limits creates an unstable situation where seniors cannot compete. Furthermore, decreasing health and mobility requires easy access to supportive services, such as transportation to medical appointments and food shopping, to meet basic needs. Shouldn’t seniors have the right to stay close to where they’ve lived for years and have access to public transportation, restaurants, supermarkets and stores?

Frankly, access to affordable, safe and secure housing is a basic human right and with cases of elder abuse increasing, a supportive network and safe housing environment can help keep these crimes at bay. Don’t we owe that to our elders? Existing senior housing developments in the city such as Poughkeepsie Commons and Cannon Street Senior have long waitlists. There simply is not enough affordable housing for seniors, especially that which provides the support structure to meet their needs.

The HNA report urges the city of Poughkeepsie to work with private and nonprofit partners “to identify programs, policies and funding opportunities that can encourage or support the development of more housing.” It advocates for policies that promote increased density and increase housing supply within the city as a path forward.

Once again, we have a growing population of people in the city who need affordable housing and a scarcity of options for them. As a city at large, can we ask ourselves what we can do to make affordable housing accessible to the people that need it and to look after our elders so they can age in place?