Elderly in the United States

The main issues in housing the elderly in the United States are affordability and suitability. In the aggregate, there are a sufficient number of housing units for the population, and sufficient capacity in the construction industry, to meet any foreseeable increases in demand. However, sharp increases in housing costs in the past two decades, fueled by rising urban land prices and a reduction in government support for low-income housing, have created distributional problems in housing the poor at prices they can afford. The most graphic evi-dence of this problem is the well-publicized plight of “homeless ” households. Changing population demographics are also creating distributional problems. The “graying ” of the United States, with a rising share of the population over 65 years of age and an increasing number of the very old, creates new demand for small housing units, with such amenities as level entries and first-floor bath-rooms that are suitable for frail or disabled individuals. The demand for these units concentrates in Southern and Western areas favored by retirees. In addi-tion, there is a rapidly growing demand for “quasi-institutional ” housing tha