Promoting Healthy Aging in Supportive Housing: A Review of the MRT Senior Supportive Housing Pilot

In 2014, New York State released several grants for pilot projects to test innovative supportive housing models of care. One project, the Senior Supportive Housing Services Pilot Program, provided funding for unit modifications and supportive services to seniors experiencing homelessness, living in an institutional setting, or precariously housed. This pilot initiative was designed to assist low-income seniors remain housed in their current residence. Eight providers were awarded a maximum of $500,000 for a two year contract. The programs developed throughout this pilot show how effective staffing and services may best meet the needs of medically-frail aging adults in supportive housing. This paper explores the staffing plans, services offered, successes, and challenges of three of those pilot programs, with an eye toward how these case studies can inform senior-specific policy and programming to ensure that the future of supportive housing in NY is inclusive of the unique needs of vulnerable, aging adults.