"I'm old. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme..."
Posted on 12/06/2007 10:26:26 AM PST by qam1
Concerned about a critical shortage of affordable housing for low-income senior citizens, the House passed a bill on Wednesday designed to spark an dramatic expansion of subsidized apartments and improve services for residents.
The legislation would affect needy senior citizens nationwide but would have a special impact on South Florida and along the Treasure Coast, where hurricane damage, rising costs and a large population of retirees create widespread demand for affordable options.
"A large number of seniors are on waiting lists. The need and the demand are much higher than the market's ability to meet it or the federal incentives to provide it," said Robert McFalls, executive officer of the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast. "Hopefully this legislation will alleviate that."
The bill — sponsored by Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens — would change federal housing rules to make it easier to finance construction and maintenance of subsidized apartments for the elderly. For example, charitable groups and other managers of housing complexes for low-income senior citizens could tap equity in existing buildings to obtain loans at low rates to enhance or expand.
The bill also would provide bigger subsidies for needy seniors whose housing costs have out-stripped their income. And it would remove current restrictions to allow housing managers to provide social services for tenants, such as transportation and medical services.
"In my home state of Florida, the toxic cocktail of rising gas prices, skyrocketing property taxes and exorbitant homeowner insurance has forced seniors to make difficult choices between paying their mortgage, putting food on the table or purchasing life-saving medications," Mahoney told the House. "Despite the increase in demand, the number of affordable housing units is shrinking."
The House passed the bill by voice vote with no sign of opposition. The Senate has not yet considered the legislation, but Mahoney said he was confident it would clear Congress without controversy.
The bill would overhaul the Housing and Urban Development program for senior citizens known as Section 202. Palm Beach County has 20 apartment complexes operating under this program, Broward County, 34; and Miami-Dade County, 132. Managers report waiting lists as long as three years.
"With the baby-boom people hitting their 60s, the population of elderly is going to keep growing, growing, growing,"said James Lynch, administrator of B'nai B'rith Apartments in Deerfield Beach. "We're in the middle of a housing crisis. You don't see many buildings being built right now. And people are living longer. It's going to lead to a growing demand."
Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.
Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.
as an xer myself, i fear for the future. all those boomers retiring, all that socialist legislation they have passed! G-d help us all!
Why is this a federal matter? What in the Constitution authorizes Congress to be involved in housing subsidies and "improved services for residents"? Oh well, I am sure the Republican stalwarts in Congress will stand up against this blatantly un-Constitutional bill...
The House passed the bill by voice vote with no sign of opposition. The Senate has not yet considered the legislation, but Mahoney said he was confident it would clear Congress without controversy.
...nevermind.
My goodness what more do we “old farts” want? I turn 65 in February. My Medicare is $97/month, my Part D (drugs) is $27/month and my supplemental is $109/month. This is about $500 less per month than I was paying in my fifties. I went to an AARP convention two years ago with my wife on a lark. We saw Elton John for practically nothing (I cannot remember the cost) and had a huge number of companies giving us “stuff.” Not junk stuff but good stuff. I told one vendor I had 10 grandkids (which is true) and he told me I needed 30 of his item so each child could have three. Whenever I hear the “whiners” on the golf course, my blood boils.
I don’t fear for myself, I fear for my grandchildren and their grandchildren. This nanny state crap is not stopping. Neither party seems to care anymore - they just want to pander to this or that group..
I’m surprised the Democrats don’t want the banks to make insurance-free mortgages to people who are unlikely to live long enough to pay off the loans, but I guess they don’t want old people to enjoy “the American Dream” of home ownership. /s
i’m 37. i fear for myself (and my family). the thought of the impending tax rate increases in the next decade are enough to make the hair on my head stand straight up.
I have an idea. Let’s live within our means. Anyone remember that? Failing to plan is planning to fail.
"I'm old. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme..."
Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.
Here is a clue. If you owned a house in Wisconsin for 30 years before moving to Florida, you have plenty of equity to purchase your retirement standard in FL. If you haven’t done well enough to enjoy such equity or prosperity, then either you can’t afford to move to Florida, or you can’t afford to retire to your standard of living.
Any way you cut it, our constitution does not suggest that all people be equally lavished in comfortable leisure in their old age at the government’s expense.
Life Liberty and the PURSUIT of Happiness. I did not read where Happiness was a right endowed by our creator.
(That might make a good tagline)
Indeed
How about cutting regulations to allow a greater housing supply?
Why doesn’t anyone suggest smaller government anymore?
I’ve heard it put this way, and like it:
The Declaration affirms that you have the right to PURSUE Happiness, it makes NO guarantee that you’ll catch it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.