By Advocate Staff

More than one in five coastal residents is a senior citizen 60 or older a percentage comparably higher than the county, state or nation. Whether seniors can age in place without an expansion of senior housing options is the question.

Nearly all coastal senior housing facilities are at or near capacity, and most have waiting lists of one to three years. Due to supply and demand, senior housing is also getting more expensive.

According to the recently completed Senior Housing Market Study, coastal property managers report a 20 percent to 30 percent increase in rental rates over the past two years; one manager estimated an apartment renting for $550 a month in 1999 would now rent for $700 a 21 percent increase. Moreover, for every vacancy there are up to 30 prospective tenants.

The $10,000 study was prepared by Redwood Coast Seniors, Inc., for the City of Fort Bragg and the Tri-Level Community Housing Alliance, a local nonprofit corporation whose mission is to spur development of affordable, independent, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities for coastal residents.

The spotlight on senior housing is not new: In the past year, the growing need for additional housing has been considered by the Mendocino Coast Community Coordinating Council, which held a series of community forums; the Mendocino Coast Council of the United Way disclosed similar concerns; the coastal Habitat for Humanity also identified senior housing as a pressing, local need; and Mendocino Coast District Hospital has discussed the possibility of developing hospital-owned land for assisted living facilities.

The need for more senior housing is also listed in the city's draft Housing Element of the General Plan.

The latest study notes the recent, parallel formation of two nonprofits, the TLC Housing Alliance and the Coast Senior Housing Assistance Corp., as a reflection of this area's growing concern for housing the rural elderly.

Aging community

More than half of 200 seniors surveyed in the study said they knew of other seniors who've left the coast to find adequate housing.

"That's a loss for our community, a loss of history and culture," says Joe Curren, who for the past five years has been the executive director of the Redwood Coast Senior Center. He spearheaded the study and provided a brief overview of it at the Aug. 13 City Council meeting. "There's great community investment in seeing that the needs of senior housing are met. The time is right to make it happen."

Just more than one in five coastal residents, or 21.5 percent, are seniors over the age of 60, he told councilmembers. That percentage is higher than expected, and higher than the nationwide (16 percent) and county (17.9 percent) percentages, he said.

According to projections, the number of seniors and the need for specialty housing will only grow, Curren said. By 2006, the current senior population of 5,098 is expected to grow to 5,364 and by 2020, the retirement of the baby boom generation will increase the senior population by as much as 40 percent, he added.

Already, seniors face an average wait of 1.7 years for specialty housing on the coast. "That's a very long time if you're looking for that type of housing due to the death of a spouse or because of medical conditions," Curren said.

Currently, the names of 201 seniors are on the waiting lists of specialty senior housing facilities; because the lists are confidential, it's not possible to determine how many seniors are on more than one list. But the largest list 90 names is maintained by the Moura Senior apartments, which provides subsidized housing for low-income seniors.

The average age of 193 coast seniors surveyed was 74.4 years old, and nearly 94 percent say they intend to remain in the area. Highlighted in the survey were the following findings:

- 92 percent reported that senior housing options in their community are not adequate;

- A majority (53 percent) of respondents report they know of seniors who have left the area because available senior housing options did not meet their needs;

- 62 percent say they would consider living in a space designed especially for seniors;

- Approximately 14 percent experience homeowner costs at or above 35 percent of household income; and

- Half of market area renters over age 65 experience rental rates at or above 35 percent of household income.

The survey details seniors' housing, incomes, future plans and preferences on dozens of daily living needs. It's partly intended to help secure future grant funding for site development and planning, and to attract potential developers, Curren said. Some senior housing types typically are not funded by grants, so private developers are needed, he added.

Housing inventory

The study evaluates the demand for five types of specialty senior housing on the coast from Gualala to Westport. They include;

- an active adult community, which is an unlicensed, age-segregated, market-rate senior housing development. The Woods in Little River is the single active adult community on the coast, and it's fully built-out. Typically, the cost for these homes runs from $85,000 to $250,000, and The Woods estimates that 80 percent of their homeowners have relocated to the area, mostly from the Sacramento Valley and the Bay Area;

- subsidized independent living facilities, typically apartments, designated for seniors. These are generally low-income apartments subsidized through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and ensure that the cost of rent is not more than 30 percent of seniors' monthly income. The average waiting period for subsidized apartments is 1.7 years.

The coast has three such housing options, including Cypress Ridge, Duncan Place and the Moura Senior Apartments which, combined, offer 124 subsidized apartments; collectively, the three facilities have the names of 184 seniors on their waiting lists;

- residential care facilities, which are licensed by the state to house and care for older adults in a group living environment. Most often these are private homes which have been converted with private or shared bedrooms and a communal kitchen.

There are three such facilities on the coast, including Cedar Ridge, Coastal Dunes and Equinox. Collectively, they offer 19 beds;

- assisted living facilities, which also provide for group living but include meal preparation and daily living assistance. The single facility on the coast is The Lodge at The Woods, which provides housing for 24 seniors; it has a waiting list of six persons, with a typical wait of up to six months.

- skilled nursing facilities, which provide 24-hour nursing care. The single coast facility is the 79-bed Sherwood Oaks in Fort Bragg. Currently there are four persons on its waiting list. Care at Sherwood Oaks is partly covered in some cases for low-income residents by MediCal. Some residents pay cash, however, at a rate of $4,180 per month.

The study adds: "Sherwood Oaks reports that they are seeing more cash-pay clients as affluent Mendocino Coast residents relocate their aging parents to the facility to be near them."

Conclusions

The study indicates 51 percent of coast residents in their 60s live alone in single-family homes, concluding that residents who opt for senior housing would add to the available family housing inventory.

The study also lists a spectrum of development options ranging from rehabilitating motels or larger homes for low-income seniors to the development of new apartment buildings. New construction would also provide an economic stimulus; the study notes that more than 62 percent of construction outlays are for wages and salaries, contributing to local employment. "Additional low-income senior housing units are in great demand and would allow seniors to age in place by addressing the escalating cost of living in the area," the study concludes.

In a brief Monday interview at the senior center, Curren said he continues to hear of seniors leaving the coast to find senior housing elsewhere. "It doesn't matter to me how it happens but we need to expand our senior housing. It's important to our seniors that they have the option to age in place," he added.

Copies of the 12-section study and senior survey are available for review or purchase at City Hall.

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