The Michigan League for Public Policy has released a new report on the barriers Michiganders face when it comes to finding good housing. The league tells us more:
Older adults and people with disabilities face some of the greatest barriers to housing, according to a new report from the Michigan League for Public Policy. The report, Homes for a lifetime: Housing justice for older adults and people with disabilities, shows that systemic ableism and ageism force many Michiganders to live in poverty and struggle with access to affordable housing. And racism within systems has led to higher disability rates among people of color, which contributes to persistent racial disparities in housing instability and homelessness.
Michigan is one of the fastest aging states in the nation, and disability is common, with nearly 1 in 3 Michigan adults having a disability. People aged 75 and older are two to eight times more likely to have a disability, often related to mobility, vision, hearing or self-care.
“It’s important to remember that we are all aging, and the likelihood of becoming disabled increases as we grow older. Michigan has been battling an affordable housing crisis for years, and we need to address–and invest in–this population that faces discrimination in all parts of life, from education to the workplace to the legal system. People with disabilities are overrepresented in the homeless population, and homelessness among older adults is rising. The world has historically left so many people out when it comes to basic needs, including the very essential need to have a home,” said Monique Stanton, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy.
Renter households living at or below 30% of area median income are 77% more likely than all other renter households to include older adults or people with disabilities. And for every 10 Michigan renter families in this income bracket, there are fewer than 4 affordable rental units–and many of them are inaccessible as well.
Due to higher costs for basic needs, low incomes and discrimination, disabled renters face higher eviction rates, which can blacklist tenants from quality rental housing indefinitely, pushing them into homelessness or substandard housing with serious health and safety hazards. From April to October 2021, over 50% of American renters with disabilities reported being worried about eviction. Fortunately, there is movement in the Michigan Legislature to allow for the sealing of eviction records under certain conditions–a key recommendation of the League’s report. The League and its allies have put support behind Senate Bill 949, bipartisan legislation introduced by Sen. Winnie Brinks, which would allow for the sealing of eviction records under certain conditions.
The report also raises concerns about institutional care, which is widely used for older adults and people with disabilities, citing that residents and staff of long-term facilities account for one-third of COVID-related deaths nationwide, with a death rate more than three times higher in nursing homes that serve communities of color.
“This is what happens when we fail to provide the resources people need to remain in their homes or in strong communities. With an aging population, we will increasingly have to address housing accessibility and affordability over the next several decades,” Stanton said. “Doing nothing is not an option. And right now, with the historic influx of American Rescue Plan dollars, Michigan has a chance to transform our system and make safe, healthy housing a reality for all of us.”
There is much Michigan can do to support older and disabled Michiganders and their housing needs, and with the federal government’s historic investment in states and communities under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), now is the time to do it.
The report notes that the state can use ARPA funding to expand the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly and similar programs and services that help older adults and people with disabilities stay in their homes or other community-based settings. Michigan also can use ARPA funds to transform the delivery of care for people who still don’t have the option to live at home, or who prefer to live in a congregate setting, such as converting multi-bed long-term care rooms to private rooms. Single-occupancy nursing home rooms are associated with better infection control, better health outcomes and higher resident satisfaction—reducing crowding while ensuring that residents have continued opportunities for healthy socialization.
The state should also use ARPA funding to invest more in the essential workers who provide supportive services. Michigan has a shortage of direct care workers, such as home health and personal care aides, of nearly 40,000. Even after a pay increase instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the average wage for a home health aide in Michigan is less than the $14.71 full-time hourly wage needed to afford a one-bedroom apartment. These workers are virtually all women and disproportionately women of color and immigrants. The state must recruit and retain workers by ensuring safe working conditions and increasing wages, professional development opportunities and other benefits to cover housing, child care and other basic needs.
Additional factors continue to keep many disabled and elderly Michiganders from living in safe, healthy homes, many of which are rooted in discriminatory policies. For example, in Michigan it is legal for some employers to pay disabled people less than minimum wage, preventing many with a disability from affording a place to live. The report offers a number of policy recommendations in addition to eviction expungement and ARPA investment, including ending employment discrimination and strengthening accessibility and inclusion requirements for developers receiving subsidies to build affordable housing. Ensuring access to safe, affordable housing is also a League priority for the 2023 state budget.
