Housing
Promoting efforts that make housing affordable and enable older people to remain living in the community safely and with dignity
Affordable, safe housing is essential to the well-being of older people. Unfortunately, in the current environment, increasing numbers of older adults are facing housing insecurity, often despite long-term employment and attempts to save for later life. Older renters find themselves unable to afford rising rents–a trend frequently exacerbated by gentrification. Long-time homeowners who have paid off their mortgages may suddenly find themselves unable to pay rising property taxes and home insurance costs. Older people who are looking for alternative, affordable options are unable to find low-cost housing that meets their physical needs. These housing issues have led to a current crisis in which the number of older people experiencing homelessness is increasing faster than any other age group. In 2024, 20% of all people experiencing homelessness were older adults. Rising housing costs and homelessness disproportionately affect older people of color; thus, RRF Foundation for Aging views housing security not only as a basic need, but as a social justice issue.
RRF is focusing on three key strategies to address housing for older people: Promoting Efforts that Support Home Preservation; Reducing the Number of Older People Experiencing Homelessness; and Increasing Access to Affordable Housing Options. Click below to read more.
RRF supports advocacy and education efforts that will reduce the burden of increasing property taxes and insurance. RRF also supports policy and systems change to protect renters and homeowners from eviction, discrimination, unaffordable rent, and unsafe homes/apartments.
RRF supports policy reform and advocacy efforts that promote housing options and services for older people experiencing homelessness. RRF is also interested in efforts focused on identifying the needs of older people experiencing homelessness and expanding innovative programs that support this population.
While RRF does not support the capital costs of building new housing through its standard grantmaking, the Foundation is seeking other methods that will support affordable housing. This includes funding for innovative models, such as intergenerational and co-housing opportunities, policy and regulatory efforts that will increase the number of affordable housing units with services specifically for older adults, and expanded access to government subsidies and supports.
In its housing work, RRF is most interested in the approaches of Advocacy, Knowledge Sharing & Awareness Raising, and Research. Click below to learn more.
- Using policy, advocacy, and regulations to drive change that impacts large numbers of older people. This includes innovative and comprehensive policies at the federal, and state level that support housing security for older people.
- Elevating the voice of older people through community organizing and power building.
- Disseminating and scaling innovative and effective housing models at a national scale.
- Awareness building and narrative development that reach large numbers of engaged stakeholders and support change.
- Engaging in advocacy-driven, actionable research in which researchers work together with advocates to: identify the data needed to support successful advocacy; demonstrate how the data will be used; and provide the data in formats that will be most useful to the advocates for action.
- Piloting trials to reduce homelessness and increase housing stability for older adults.
Things to Know
Learn about general grant exclusions, search our FAQs, watch an instructional video on our application process, read evaluation guidelines and learn how to develop SMART objectives.
Read our Issue Brief on Housing
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