SENIOR HOUSING. The Schwabacher House at 1715 N.W. 59th St. is one of three low-income senior housing buildings in Ballard. There are no vacancies but eight seniors are on a waiting list to get in. It's run by the Seattle Housing Authority's Senior Housing Program. Steve Shay

Where to find housing for seniors vexes city

By Rebekah Schilperoort

One of the biggest needs in the city for senior citizens is low-cost housing, but the severity of the situation is a mixed bag.

Alan Rhone, with the Seattle Office for Senior Citizens Senior Information and Assistance program, helps seniors find resources for various issues like healthcare and insurance. But most of the seniors he counsels, some of whom are homeless, need housing.

Some have been sitting on wait lists for low-income programs through the Seattle Housing Authority for up to a year. In that case he usually refers them to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and rental voucher programs like Section 8.

But, "some people might remain homeless for awhile," Rhone said. "And the condo conversions certainly don't help that."

Increasingly, as the rate of apartment to condominium conversions grow here, so does the need for affordable homes. Seniors often take it the hardest, many without savings, family support and little income.

Renters being displaced by conversion get 90 days to find a new home and $500 in a moving allowance if they make below 80 percent of area median income. That short time frame can make it even more difficult to place them, said Rhone.

One option is the Low Income Housing Institute, which has a few buildings in the Ballard area. Rent varies from 30 to 50 percent of area median income.

Some retirement communities that offer assisted living like Merrill Gardens and the under construction Ballard Landmark Inn have moderate-income programs for seniors making between $27,000 and $32,000 a year.

About 29 of the 146 units in the Landmark Inn will be available in that income range, otherwise, units rent for $2,000 to $5,000 a month, depending in the level of care needed. The retirement community is slated to open next summer.

Rental history and criminal records can also effect whether or not a senior is able to find housing, said Judith Anderson, senior property manger for the Seattle Housing Authority's Senior Housing Program. Applicants must have at least 12 months of rental history and a clean record, she said.

Because eligibility is income contingent, none of the seniors who apply for Anderson's program are homeless. Most are living with family members or going through a conversion.

To be eligible, applicants must be 62 years of age or older and have an annual income of three times the minimum rent of $248. A single person can't make more than $43,600 a year, or 80 percent of median income.

The program isn't subsidized and runs from the money it makes in rent. It started in 1981 by a 20-year bond issue passed by Seattle voters. Since the bond ran out, Anderson said she's able to keep the rents low by cutting back on the little things.

"I watch my costs," she said. "I am real strict with costs. We don't have green lawns."

Ballard has three buildings for seniors run by the Seattle Housing Authority. Turnover is about 10 to 11 percent a year, or roughly 4 units, said Anderson.

Nelson Manor, a 32 unit building off Northwest 58th, has three upcoming vacancies and six on an approved wait list. Nearby on Northwest 57th is Sunrise Manor. Eight seniors are waiting to get into the 32-unit building.

The Schwabacher House on Northwest 59th Street also has eight approved and no vacancies.

But in the South Park and Columbia City areas, there are several vacancies in buildings, while the Island View in West Seattle has a wait list of 124. Island View is an active community and popular because of its location on California Avenue Southwest, said Anderson.

She said for many it's not about being close to amenities: Columbia Place is across the street from a senior center and a bus stop. It has more to do with seniors being unwilling to leave their long-time neighborhoods, where their church, family or friends are.

Plus, "people just don't want to live in South Park," she said.

Denise Klein, executive director of Senior Services of Seattle/King County, said the amount of available low-income rentals is declining in the city as displacement continues, but wonders how worried people should be when it comes to seniors who might just be "fussy" about where they live.

She's more concerned about those who don't have many options, whether that's because of a checkered rental history or a drug addiction, which many agencies don't tolerate.

Though rents continue to escalate and new units are being built primarily to serve "people of means," Klein said she believes there are vacancies for seniors, but they just don't know about them.

"We need to do a lot better job getting information out to people about what is available," said Klein. "Somehow the prevailing opinion is that seniors can't find low-income housing. But I think there's some other story to be told."

Vacancy rates not wait lists, paint a more truthful picture of senior housing demand, she said.

Rebecca Lane heads the charitable group Rebuilding Together Seattle, which aims to keep elderly in their current homes so they aren't forced to look for a rental late in life. The organization is an affiliate of a national group that repairs or rebuilds homes at no cost to low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly.

The group is able to help about 20 to 30 homeowners a year, however, as medical expenses and property taxes rise, the need for the program is gaining strength in Seattle. Lane said it's helped prevent many seniors from becoming homeless.

The typical homeowner to receive help is an elderly woman, usually widowed, and either African American or Asian. They can't earn more than 50 percent of area median income to be eligible.

Most are hanging on to their "humble homes by the skin of their teeth," said Lane. Some need major repairs and are unsafe, but the group's goal is to keep the senior in place.

"Aging in place means a better quality of life and a longer life," she said. "Housing should not be a commodity. Housing should be a human right."

Higher housing costs and displacement are some of the "unintended consequences of a booming economy," said Lane.

"It's something we have to look square in the eye..." she said.

In her line of work, an obvious problem she sees is that seniors don't have the kind of resources they need to stay in their houses. Developers try to buy many of the older homes for much less than they are worth from seniors who don't understand the real estate market.

"Public policy needs to contextualize gentrification" and protect low-income homeowners from rising property taxes and "carpet bagger" developers, said Lane.

"It's a systemic issue and we need to address it that way rather than look at an individual and say 'what has that person done wrong?'" she said.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com