Committee hears 2022 aging and disability housing needs assessment; advocates press for operating subsidies and elevator repairs

The committee received the 2022 Aging and Disability Affordable Housing Needs Assessment and supporting presentations from the Department of Disability and Aging Services (DOS), Planning, and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD).

Cindy Kaufman (Deputy Director, DOS) summarized process and findings from a cross-department steering committee. Key findings highlighted during the presentation included: tenant- and project-based operating subsidies as a critical means to make housing affordable for low‑income seniors and adults with disabilities; widespread inadequacy of accessibility features in existing affordable sites and the need to formalize a consistent reasonable-modification process; and siloed programmatic resources that would benefit from interdepartmental coordination and shared data platforms.

Lisa Chen (Planning) described the nascent implementation-planning role recently created to align the needs‑assessment recommendations with the 2022 Housing Element and to scope costs; Planning said some recommendations are programmatic/data changes and others (subsidies, production) carry large costs. Sheila Nicholopoulos (MOHCD) said the current senior-housing pipeline includes roughly 978 senior units across several properties and that about 200 units have come online recently; she noted typical affordable development timelines of 5–7 years.

During public comment, advocates with Senior and Disability Action and other organizations urged quick action on operating subsidies (including a proposed $500,000 seed for a disability operating subsidy to start with ~28 units), prioritized allocation of accessible units to people with disabilities, and a dedicated fund for elevator repair and replacement in older SROs. Chair Stephanie asked staff to return cost estimates for elevator repairs and other implementation needs; the committee then moved to file the hearing and recorded unanimous consent among present members.

Next steps: Planning’s new implementation planner will scope costs, responsible agencies and a timeline to operationalize recommendations; the committee and advocates will press for budget allocations in the upcoming cycle.