Meeting the Housing Needs of Older Adults: What Will It Take?

Oregon’s population of people 65 and older is growing.
By 2025 the state is expected
to have the nation’s fourth highest proportion of older adults,
according to the National Institute on Aging. And by some estimates,
Benton County alone may see an increase of 5,000 people in this age
category in the next 10 years.

Accompanying this trend
will come a housing challenge: Can Corvallis provide housing for older
people with a variety of needs? Some may require round-the-clock nursing
care or occasional assistance with daily tasks. But others may prefer
independent living in safety and close proximity to friends and a
diverse community.

There is growing interest
in our country — and here in Corvallis — in creating more options for
senior housing. The benefits of living within a small community in
clustered or shared housing could help many to delay or avoid the high
expenses of moving into a large retirement home or assisted living
facility.

Does Corvallis have what it takes to meet the
housing needs of this growing segment of our population? What are the
costs of different levels of care? Does city zoning provide the kind of
flexibility that may be necessary to find creative solutions to the
housing needs of older adults?

At the May 11 Corvallis City
Club meeting, three speakers will address these and other questions. Jim
Moorefield, Executive Director, Willamette Neighborhood Housing; Lorene
Hales, Administrator, Corvallis Caring Place; Jim Noel, member of the
Over 65 Housing group of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of
Corvallis.

The meeting is open to the public. City Club meets in the Gerding Builders Gym at the Boys & Girls Club, 1112 NW Circle. The meeting will begin at 12 noon, and doors will open at 11:30. As always, attendance is free. Lunch by Baja Fresh is $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Registration is necessary only if you are having lunch. Send e-mail to info@cityclubofcorvallis.org, with “City Club May 11” in the subject line, by May 8.

See a statistical breakdown of Oregon’s population age 65 and older.

This 51,000-square-foot senior housing project in Hawaii includes 96 one-bedroom units,  a common building with mail, laundry and activity areas and community gardens. (Source: Media5 Architecture)

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