Dear Editor,

According to the most recent AARP bulletin, “the number of people age 62 or older who were homeless nearly doubled, and forecasts suggest a dramatic increase in the number of older adults (55 and older) who will be unable to secure affordable housing over the coming decade – that’s 18%, roughly the population of Boulder, Colorado,” according to HUD data.

“Between 2010 and 2018, availability of affordable quality housing among senior county residents decreased from 27 percent to nine percent.”– excerpted from 2019 Boulder County AAA Trends report.

“Housing affordability and accessibility is a major concern, particularly as it affects the Nederland area’s low-income seniors.”– excerpted from 2000 P2P Healthy Communities Summit

Meanwhile, back in our home town, the following is a summary of what’s been my passionate advocacy for 12+ years for Nederland: Susan has been a renter in Nederland for 45 years. She is a single female in her late 70s. Her only source of income is a social security check under $1000. The heirs to the most recent house she’s been renting raised her rent twice in five years. She now has no place to go, and is on the verge of becoming homeless.

Carol has been a homeowner in Nederland for 25 years. She’s a single female in her early 70s. She became sick. Then lost her job. She continued to pay her mortgage with her social security check of $1000 and the unemployment she received until it ran out. She has one relative. However, they are not in a financial position to help out. She’s now in jeopardy of losing her home, and has no place to go.

James, now in his mid-70s, has lived in Nederland for 20 years. He is a single male. His source(s) of income is a social security check, and a veteran’s service-related disability check. He’d been renting a room in a house in Nederland. Then the house was sold, and he’s been “sleeping” wherever he could because he is not able to afford anything.

Some of these people may be your neighbors, or possibly some of them are friends. Even in a small town there are quite a few stories like this that you are unaware of. Many elderly people don’t have the options that most young people may have in some form.

Yeah, it’s me again, Atashnaa, advocating for subsidized Elder Housing in Nederland.

Prime Haven. Does that mean anything to those of you reading this? From my experience talking with people in Nederland, it does not. Following is a local fact: In the 1980s the first subsidized housing in Colorado was built in Nederland through a USDA Rural Development Grant. Of those 24 units, six 1-bedroom units known as Prime Haven were built for elders and adults with disabilities – emphasizing the SIX. Given their age and the design, this makes these few units unable to be ADA compliant.

The federally subsidized senior housing program is designated for people over 60 years of age. The renter pays 30% of their gross income from all sources, and the voucher program pays the remaining 70% of the rent that includes utilities and maintenance. In general, one finds the typical profile of subsidized senior housing resident in Nederland as a single woman in their 70s with limited financial resources.

So, why am I here, talking yet again, about housing – elder housing, to be specific? I hold fast to the same vision or dream I’ve had for 12+ years. As size-appropriate land within town disappears, which is: to build 12-16 Elder Housing units with priority given to Boulder County P2P residents; with 100% accessible ADA design features that will accommodate disabilities and the physical changes associated with aging, and are immediately accessible to the natural world where we live. That’s why!

Atashnaa Medicineshield Werner

Nederland