Clear skies. Low 32F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..
Clear skies. Low 32F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Updated: December 23, 2022 @ 5:24 pm
For months, years in fact, we have discussed ways to provide affordable housing. Many articles, including mine, look at the big picture – housing projects, low cost homes, older homes, and the need for subsidized housing for low income people. Currently there is no Section 8 housing available in Brevard County and very limited Section 202 housing with 2-3 year waiting lists.
However, some cases require a different resolution. Remember the old saying, “different strokes for different folks”? At Helping Seniors, we receive many calls for assistance regarding housing of a different type. In this situation, an older man or woman who is still physically independent needs to rent a private room with either shared or included bath facilities. It would be ideal if the arrangement would include cooking privileges or use of a microwave.
One case we are currently working involves an 87-year-old veteran who rented for ten years in Palm Bay and paid his bills on time but was forced out of the house when it was sold. He has a steady monthly social security income and is debt free but cannot find a simple, private room with bath and cooking privileges where he can live. Instead, this man has lived in his car for over 30 days while we have tried to help him find housing.
It is ironic when we have also received calls for roommates to share the cost of living because a single renter cannot afford the cost. If our elderly caller could team up with a person of similar needs, they could share the cost of the rental. Instead, in a county of about 750,000 people, this gentleman, and others like him live in a car or in the woods for there is no other place for them to go. We have no shelters except on cold weather nights or for women with children or those with substance abuse problems.
This is a situation that needs resolution. Helping Seniors has just been given space by OMNI Health Care to start a senior resource center, and one office will be dedicated to identifying affordable housing.
There is a growing number of seniors searching for a home in Brevard they can afford. There are also many homeowners struggling to pay their utilities, homeowner’s insurance, property taxes, and home upkeep. Consider a great solution for all – a homeowner willing to rent out a room in their home to an independent senior who does not require anything from the landlord. This would provide affordable housing to many seniors while helping homeowners offset the ever-rising costs of homeownership. There are many seniors in Brevard who can afford to pay $500, $600, $700, $800, and even $900 per month for a room in a house.
It is unthinkable for a senior man or woman with arthritis or other joint ailment to live in a car (if they have one) or in the woods. Consider my words and, if you have a detached suite of rooms or a single room that you could rent out or in some way meet the intent of this article, please call 321-473-7770 or email info@helpingseniorsofbrevard.org and talk to us about the assistance you might be able to provide. Even in Florida it does get cold in a car or the woods.
Contact Helping Seniors at 321-473-7770, at www.HelpingSeniorsofBrevard.org, or at P.O. Box 372936, Satellite Beach, FL 32937.
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