DATE:
January 9, 2024
04
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
APPROVE A PILOT SHARED HOUSING FOR OLDER ADULTS PROGRAM TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
Of the nearly 3.4 million people currently living in San Diego County, approximately 908,000 are over the age of 55. According to the California Department of Finance demographic projections, that number is expected to grow to more than 1 million by 2030. With a longstanding commitment to ensuring that all communities within San Diego County have the capacity to support the unique needs of the aging population, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board), took action on August 29, 2023 (22) to address growing the homelessness among older adults. As part of this action, the Board directed staff to return with a program design, implementation plan, and evaluation framework for an older adult shared housing program. The County of San Diego (County) Health and Human Services Agency, Housing and Community Development Services conducted a comprehensive review of 16 different shared housing models as well as the December 2020 Shared Housing in San Diego Report by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and collaborated with County departments of Aging & Independence Services, Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities, and the Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics to develop a pilot program called the Shared Housing for Older Adults Program (SHOAP).
SHOAP aims to prevent homelessness, reduce the burden of housing costs, support aging in place, and offer a means of companionship for the region's older adults by creating shared living arrangements. This will be achieved through recruiting, assessing, and matching low- to moderate-income older adults, aged 55 years and older, who may be struggling to find affordable housing with appropriate homeowners or renters with an extra bedroom. The program will aim to create and support approximately 25 housi...
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