The Housing Crisis, Healthcare, and it’s Impact on Seniors

One of the biggest issues facing California residents right now is the high cost of living and inadequate funding for affordable housing solutions, a crisis that has caused an alarming increase in homelessness. Stagnant wages and rising costs have only worsened the problem, a problem that uniquely and disproportionately impacts our seniors. The fastest growing population of unhoused people in the State of California are our senior citizens, a staggering fact that will only worsen as our senior population triples over the next few decades.

The Numbers

• 30% of seniors experience food insecurity
• 50% of all elderly people are renters
• 5 million Californians currently rely on Social Security, disability, and survivor benefits to get by
• 5.5 million seniors report being unable to make ends meet
• 28% of Orange County, California seniors don’t have enough income to meet their needs
• 45% of unhoused individuals in California are above the age of 50

At present, there aren’t enough assisted living facilities in the state to fulfill senior living accommodations. The average wait time to be admitted to one of these facilities is currently 1-3 years, and thousands of Californians are currently waiting to get into MediCal’s assisted living program.

Compounding this issue is the incredibly high cost of healthcare and the fact that since the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, seniors are facing increased rates of physical and mental health issues, healthcare costs, financial insecurity, bereavement, social isolation, loneliness, and an increase in depression, sleep disorders, anxiety, and chronic degenerative problems like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Our state legislature needs to tackle this growing crisis head-first

As a California State Senator, I am proposing that we approach the housing and homelessness crisis through a three-prong approach: 1) the development of more affordable housing units; 2) reform the state law to implement Costa Hawkins reform and empower cities to enact rent control ordinances; 3) broad tenant protections to prevent people from slipping into homelessness.

Specifically:

• Pass the Justice for Renters and Homelessness Prevention Acts
• Amend the law to make MediCal share-of-cost programs more affordable.
• Reform the Costa Hawkins law and empower local municipalities to enact locally-controlled rent stabilization ordinances
• Offer housing stabilization subsidies which will allow 25,000 seniors and disabled folks to access or keep housing
• Amend the CA Residential Care Facilities Act to allow long-term facilities to house more people
• Expand MediCal access to ensure Californians receive healthcare coverage, which lowers household costs and frees up disposable income while saving the state hundreds of billions of dollars a year
• Amend Fair Employment Protections to include protections against discrimination toward aging populations
• Train a new generation of workers to provide elder care
• Invest in mixed-use and affordable housing developments near major transportation hubs like the Irvine/Tustin railroad stations, which help to lower carbon emissions and help the state reach its climate goals

We also need to fight back against Medicare Advantage plans, which offer inferior coverage, delay and deny care, limit doctors and hospitals that are available to real Medicare recipients, and stop the looting and privatization of the Medicare Trust fund.  That’s why I have accepted the No Corporate PAC and Patients over Profits pledges, and will not accept a single dollar of campaign contributions from Corporate PACs or healthcare lobbies.

Please contribute to our campaign and ensure that we are caring for the generation that preceded us.