By Gary Bennett
Staff file photo by Bill Green
This article appears in the May 31, 2023, issue of the Frederick News-Post’s “Prime Time” magazine.
As we all know, we live in a very high cost-of-living area. Our incomes, however, have not kept pace.
In 2020, United Way of Frederick County completed its ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-constrained, Employed) report. It is almost inconceivable, but they found that a third of our families really can’t afford to live here.
The struggle is even worse for seniors.
According to the same report, 47 percent of those 65 or older have difficulty living in Frederick County and must make tough choices every day on how to juggle paying for medicine, housing, taxes and food.
Housing, as virtually everyone’s largest individual expense, drives this struggle. It is no secret that finding safe, decent and affordable housing for many seniors is often a challenge.
Retired Frederick County school teacher Judy Kendro shared her struggle in the 2018 video The Faces of Affordable Housing [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixwW4onCtUk] produced by Frederick County Government.
“My story could be anyone’s story. It could be you mother’s, your aunt’s, your sister’s, your friend’s, your neighbor’s or even you. My story happens to numerous seniors every month.”
“Three years ago, my best friend, my husband of 44 years, died. While grieving, I had to deal with paperwork, bills, medical bills and finances. My income was cut in half. Then, Uncle Sam said now you are one, which further reduced my income. However, my bills remained the same. In fact, some went up like heat, gasoline, car insurance, taxes and medical insurance. I had to adjust to a new lifestyle and budget.”
“After a year I found that my family house was too big for little old me. So, I did some looking around on my own and then contacted realtors. I thought it would be easy to find desirable, affordable options for senior living in Frederick County. Boy, was I wrong! What I have seen in Frederick County is out of my price range which affects my budget. Or, [I’ve found] fixer uppers, which affects my budget.”
“I am disappointed and discouraged but still looking. So, we need to address affordable, desirable housing for all our seniors and the baby boomers who are becoming seniors.”
Ms. Kendro’s story is not unique.
Frederick County is woefully behind in its housing inventory to serve all who want to live here, and that is especially true for seniors. According to the 2016 Frederick County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, the housing gap for households making $50,000 per year or less— where most retirees fall—is 11,000 units.
The older population is projected to grow rapidly, and although many seniors wish to remain in their homes for as long as possible, challenges related to affordability, accessibility, and poor access to health services can make doing that difficult.
All is not doom and gloom, however. Seniors do have some affordable housing options they should consider, if at all feasible:
- Stay in your own home
This option works well if you are in good health and plan to stay that way. Even if your mortgage is not paid in full you can consider a reverse mortgage, which means you can take some of the equity out of your home in the form of additional monthly income. Or you can consider selling your home to a company like Sell2rent.com who will rent it back to you and possibly include home maintenance as part of the deal.
- Live with family
Sharing a home with loved ones if often free or low-cost and has the added advantage of having family members around to help you when needed. Both Frederick city and county have revised their Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinances to make it easier for “granny flats” or “in-law suites” to be built. - Look into public or subsidized senior housing
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers affordable public housing apartments and even single-family homes for seniors in need. They often come with accessibility features and are priced at 30 percent of your income. Be forewarned, however, that wait lists are often very long, sometimes months or even years. - Consider assisted living and residential care options
This is a good option if you need help with daily activities such as bathing and getting dressed. These facilities offer meals, activities, and help with medication. The average cost across the U.S. is $4,000 a month but the price in Maryland is often more. Frederick offers many reputable facilities:
- Buckingham’s Choice
- Country Meadows
- Edenton
- HeartFields
- Homewood at Crumland Farms
- Montevue
- Record Street Home
- Somerford House & Place
- Spring Arbor
- Sunrise
- Tranquility
Take advantage of government assistance- Low-income seniors can qualify for HUD’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, which helps people afford their rent.
- HUD’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program provides rental assistance for older adults.
- The Section 504 Home Repair Program helps pay for repairs and upgrades to your home so you can age in place.
- The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps cover the cost of heating and cooling your home.
Ask for help from charitable organizations- Several nonprofits are available to help qualifying seniors such as Good Samaritan Society, HumanGood, Mercy Housing and Volunteers of America.
- In the Frederick area, check out Habitat for Humanity, Housing Authority of the City of Frederick, Interfaith Housing Alliance, Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs, and United Way of Frederick County.
Frederick County also offers a variety of housing programs seniors can take advantage of. (This may not be a complete list.)
- Frederick County Senior Tax Credit
Enacted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2012, the amount of the credit is 40% or 20% of net county real property taxes for qualifying homeowners depending on income. - Bell Court Senior Apartments
Owned by Frederick County and located in Woodsboro, the apartments provide affordable rental housing for the low-income elderly.
- Accessible Homes for Seniors
Offers seniors low- and no-interest loan options for home renovations such as grab bars, railing and ramps and has recently been expanded to include grant money for those who do not qualify for the loans. - Maryland’s Renters’ Tax Credit Program
Provides property tax credits for renters who meet certain requirements, with deeper subsidies available to those individuals over the age of 60 or 100% disabled.
- Senior Rehabilitation Grant Program
This program provides grants up to $15,000 for emergency repairs and accessibility modifications to very low-income senior homeowners. - Emergency Rehab Loan Program
Provides zero interest, deferred loans up to $15,000 for emergency repairs. - Special Targeted Applicant Rehabilitation Program (STAR)
Preserves and improves single-family properties by rehabilitating the property and updating it to applicable building codes. - Lead Hazard Reduction Grant and Loan Program
Provides funds to assist homeowner and landlords lessen the risk of lead poisoning and preserve the housing stock by reducing or eliminating lead-based paint hazards. - Indoor Plumbing Program (IPP)
Designed to provide indoor plumbing to residential properties. The properties may be single-family, owner-occupied homes as well as rental properties with one to twenty units.
Frederick County offers many apartment housing options geared to seniors. Some are county-funded and some are privately funded:
- 520 North Market Apartments, 520 North Market Street
- Brooklawn Apartments, 1001 Carroll Parkway
- Brunswick House, Brunswick, MD
- Catoctin Manor/View Apartments, 798 and 800 Motter Ave.
- Creekside at Tasker’s Chance, 100 Burgess Hill Way
- Lincoln on the Park Apartments, Emmitsburg, MD
- Orchard Park @ Ballenger Run, 5234 Black Locust Drive
- Ox Fibre Apartments, 400 East Church Street
- Seton Village Apartments, Emmitsburg, MD
- Sharpe Square Senior Apartments, 820 Motter Ave.
- Spring Ridge Apartments, 6351 Spring Ridge Parkway
- Parkview Apartments, 750 Carroll Parkway
- Taney Village Apartments, 1421 Taney Avenue
- Victoria Park, Walkersville, MD
- The Village at Worman’s Mill 55+ Apartments, 2470 Merchant Street
- Weinberg House, 222 Broadway Street
Gary Bennett is a member of Frederick’s Affordable Housing Council and a board member for Advocates for Homeless Families.