Senior housing potpourri-links and more links

This will be a link-heavy post for people who just want the facts, Ma'am.

First, thanks to Journal Sentinel reporter Michele Derus who brought to the front page of the real estate section the problem of failure to understand seniors' needs when developing housing.

And although the Milwaukee Aging Consortium is a membership organization, not an advocacy organization, it's fair to say that we are advocates for anything that will improve the lives of seniors!

Let's start with what aging looks like in Milwaukee County: this wonderful report, Now at 60 What I See.

Looking for new ideas about redeveloping sites as communities in which to live, work, and age? The results of the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning Aging in Community Senior Housing Ideas Competition will be displayed on their website by the end of February. And a white paper covering the week of events begining with Eden Alternative guru William Thomas will be developed and posted at the UWM Center on Age and Community.

In Milwaukee County, the mecca for all information about health services for older people is the County Department on Aging's Elderlink.

Interested in resources for housing and health care for older adults in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties? Try Senior Resources Online for 2006/2007.

Worried about older people not being able to afford housing? Steve Falek of the Milwaukee Housing Authority says call and write your senators and representatives to support Senate bill 427 (thanks to Brian Peters for the correction), the Affordable Housing Expansion and Public Safety Act. This bill makes available new home production and older home rehab as well as Section 8 vouchers and re-institutes the currently unfunded program to fight crime and drugs in low-income housing. It also calls for creation of a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Why is affordable senior housing so important? See what the Retirement Housing Fund has to say: "It is illusionary to believe that we can have good healthcare in this nation unless persons have decent, safe, and secure affordable housing because affordable housing is the base which makes good health a possibility."

And that's just a start! If you're interested in doing something creative to advance aging in community here, call me (414-289-0890) to be put on the e-mail list for our project exploration group!