Kid-Friendly Senior Housing
February 8th, 2009
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There are a small but growing number of kid-friendly housing developments that are targeted at senior citizens. That’s due to the fact that more grandparents are raising their grandchildren but still need housing that is designed for their needs.
A proposed $10 million housing deveopment in Milwaukee would be the first in the city to be aimed specifically at grandparents who care for children. About 7,052 grandparents in Milwaukee are raising their grandchildren, according the Journal Sentinel. According to the U.S. Census, there are about 2.5 million grandparents who are responsible for caring for grandchildren.
Similar housing has been built in other cities, including Chicago, Boston, and New York.
One New York apartment building targeted to senior citizens and children has wide hallways, handrails, emergency pull cords in bedrooms, a playroom, and tutoring. Social workers are also available to help grandparents with various issues related to raising kids. Many of the children living with grandparents in the building have been abandoned by their parents, often because of drugs, prison, and other serious issues.
With many families are dealing with similar living situations, increasing the need for kid-friendly senior housing. But traditionally, senior housing developments have only been intended for people over 55.
Usually abut 80% of residents in active-adult communities must be at least 55 in order for the development to exclude kids under federal regulations, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, as the housing market continues to struggle, some senior citizen communities have begun to consider lowering age restrictions as a way to get existing properties sold.
Many people living in housing developments targeted at the over-55 crowd may cringe at the thought of having lots of children running around. But well-planned, kid-friendly senior housing is likely to become more common and accepted over time as we see an increase in the number of grandparents caring for grandkids.
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February 12th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
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May 18th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Many senior citizens find themselves in financial difficulty as the Michigan economy continues to weaken and GM downsizes.There are a number of things seniors can do at the first sign of financial trouble such as reduce costs, be more efficient with expenditures and perhaps even consider a part-time job. Another weapon in the senior arsenal during difficult financial times is a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is for seniors who are age 62 and older. Basically, the reverse mortgage provides a way for seniors to convert the equity in their home into cash. The beauty of a reverse mortgage is that as long as you stay in your home you never have to repay the mortgage.