Seniors have been a growing part of the homeless population, and this will continue. A major reason is Social Security increases aren't keeping up with inflation and housing costs. Modern, alternative housing options are needed to deal with this.
The most common solution to date for affordable housing is development using LIHTCs. This system probably isn't the most efficient because it involves several players and is kind of complicated. These projects aren't the most effective for the growing number of needy seniors. Sometimes, they're kind of trophy projects, in that they have features which aren't necessary when it boils down to cost and survival. They may have excessive design features, and features which are nice to have, but ultimately aren't necessary, such as washers and dryers or community areas.
What would be really helpful here, is if someone started a nonprofit that went around building minimalistic micro-apartments in certain areas. There's smaller towns in states such as Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma where lots in the 1/4 to 1/3 acre size are
cheap, from 5,000 to 10,000. Some of these towns have declining populations. These states have mild climates, and are affordable.
The nonprofit could have land use attorneys that push the plans and permits through. These states don't require an attorney to pass the states' bar exam to practice there. Places like these aren't hard to build in. They have minimal bureaucracy, and would probably welcome the economic gains and demographic.
These developments could be about 30-40 units (able to fit on a good sized residential lot), and two story so they can be wood framed. 200-250 square feet units would be ideal, with minimal features: a micro fridge, maybe just a microwave for cooking, no washing machines in the facility, basic everything. New construction is always a plus, and they can look nice without becoming cost prohibitive.
Even a lot of the newer micro-apartments in cities have things that aren't necessities, such as laundry facilities, gyms and common areas. Also, they're for certain people, so there's location and transportation considerations. Here, cost would be the priority. The same designs could be used across multiple developments to save on costs.
These places could be built for people 55+ that receive SSI, SSDI or Social Security (not seriously handicapped), and have that as a requirement to stay. The town types mentioned above have basic necessities, and job opportunities wouldn't be an issue. Just someplace where someone can live, rather than be on the street, in a shelter or in a car.
Loans for the projects could come from or through HUD. Rent could probably run 500-550 per unit. The places would pay for themselves. The nonprofit could get make a cost estimate on a project, get the loan, buy the land, then build and rent. They would require only about one parking space for every 2 residents, because most of them wouldn't have cars. Towns this size are easy for people to get around.
The key would be having just one nonprofit handling numerous developments across multiple states, so economies of scale can apply.
