A recent report from the Bipartisan Policy Center describes the need for a comprehensive national approach to integrating health care and housing for seniors. To counteract the increasing number of vulnerable Americans experiencing hardship as they age, the report makes the following recommendations:
Wellness
Ground breaking at Elm Place in Milton celebrated
Executive Director Sarah Carpenter joined partners from Cathedral Square and other agencies to launch construction of Elm Place, a 30-unit building for seniors in Milton. Elm Place will be Vermont’s first multi-family building certified to Passive House standards. Better windows and doors, added insulation and improved air sealing are expected to enable the building to use roughly 65 percent less energy.
The project has an anticipated opening date of March 2017. Residents will benefit from Support and Services at Home (SASH) care coordination which supports aging in place through an on-site SASH coordinator and part-time wellness nurse. Two apartments are fully ADA accessible and all apartments are adaptable.
Accessible housing can be the norm, not the exception
The toolbox for enabling seniors who want to grow older in their current homes is becoming increasingly effective, according to experts consulted in a recent How Housing Matters article.
A quarter of Vermont households are headed by someone who is 65 or older. The vast majority of these seniors will not move as their physical mobility becomes more limited with age. However, only one in three older Americans lives in a homes with safety features, such as grab bars. Public financial support can put home modifications in reach of lower income seniors.
Study Finds Affordable Housing Reduces Health Care Costs
A study conducted by the Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE) found affordable housing reduced overall health care expenditures by 12% for Medicaid recipients. By comparing individuals' Medicaid claims in the year prior to moving into affordable housing to their Medicaid claims in the year after moving in, researchers found an average total savings of $576 a year. Seniors and people with disabilities as well as permanent supportive housing reaped the greatest benefit by saving an average of $84 per month ($1,008 per year).
Temporary housing available for Vermonters at risk of homelessness during weekend's extreme cold
Vermonters at risk of homelessness should call 2-1-1 to arrange for temporary housing during the extreme cold this weekend, Governor Peter Shumlin advised Friday.
The Vermont Division of Emergency Management & Homeland Security is issuing wind chill warnings for most of the state from 4 a.m. Saturday through 7 p.m. Sunday, with wind chill temperatures expected to plunge to between 25 and 40 below zero.
VHFA named one of Vermont's best places to work
We have long known that VHFA is a fantastic place to work, and now the secret is out. Vermont Business Magazine named VHFA one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont for 2016!
Companies from across the state entered the two-part selection process. The results of an employee survey counted for 75 percent of each nominated company's score. The remaining 25 percent of the score consisted of evaluating each company's workplace policies, practices and demographics. The combined scores placed VHFA firmly among the top "small" companies (with fewer than 150 employees).
Thank you, Vermont Business Magazine!
Most Vermonters are likely to choose living in smoke-free housing
The latest Vermont Department of Health survey indicated that nearly 60% of Vermonters would be more likely to choose living in a smoke-free building over a similar building in which smoking was permitted.
There was even greater support for limiting smoking in building entryways; roughly 80% of survey respondents supported limiting or outright prohibiting smoking in entryways.
Housing and health: The importance of place
In the second of a series of papers on how affordable housing impacts other pieces of our lives, the connection between health and housing is becoming better understood. In Housing and Health: The Importance of Place, the authors delve into some of these impacts. As Megan Sandel, M.D., M.P.H., and Deborah Frank, M.D. writes, "For many of our patients, a safe, decent, affordable home is like a vaccine—it literally keeps children healthy.”
Affordable housing is key to a child's success in school
A new paper was released today that highlights the intersection of affordable housing and education, and the benefits that an affordable home provides kids in terms of their ability to learn in school. In the report, Rebecca Haslam, an elementary school teacher, is quoted saying, "Kids experiencing housing challenges feel disconnected from their communities, which is even more damaging to their ability to access the academics... they're just not ready."