A Zoom-based community forum highlighted low-income, senior living facilities and creative housing solutions as key things for the county to focus on as part of the California Master Plan for Aging.
Hosted by the Santa Barbara County Adult and Aging Network (ANN), county residents attended the forum to learn about the master plan, its local implementation, and offer their ideas. Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, state Sen. Monique Limón, (D-Santa Barbara), and former state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson spoke at the Oct. 22 event.
The master plan is in response to “the silver tsunami,” or the extreme influx of California’s over-60 population coming in the next 10 years, AAN Director Barbara Finch said.
“California’s an aging state, we have a negative birth rate—meaning people are aging quickly with a decline in births. By the year 2030, we’ll have doubled our senior population,” Finch said. “Tremendous changes are required if we want a smooth transition.”
With five overarching goals and 23 different strategies, the master plan allows local governments to choose a template that works best for their communities as well as cross-sector collaboration opportunities, and data tracking technology to monitor progress, Finch said.
Jackson worked on legislation to expand senior services during her time in office and is still committed to giving senior residents a sense of dignity, she said at the forum.
“About 89 percent of people want to age at home. We have to try and make those kinds of services available. The master plan is to empower those people with dignity, choice, and independence,” Jackson said.
The discussion about implementing the plan in Santa Barbara County began with housing for all ages and stages, looking to model Rona Barrett’s Golden Inn and Village in Santa Ynez—a home for low-income seniors that provides social services, she said. Jackson tried to use the village as a statewide model but said no one felt they had the authority to implement it into communities.
Granny flats—another highlighted opportunity—is an option where residents can add to their home to create a living space for senior family members.
“Historically, we’ve been multigenerational human creatures, but we lost that over the last generation or two,” Jackson said. “We want to end homelessness for aging adults. They have never been homeless before, but [now] they cannot afford a place to live. … We need to start having creative solutions to provide income security as we age.”
Limón piggybacked on Jackson’s discussion by highlighting her budget bills for more affordable housing investments to build an “age-friendly environment in California.”
“Housing and homelessness continue to be top priorities where older populations and people with mental disabilities are the most vulnerable. Half of our homeless population is over the age of 50, and affordable housing is a key prevention strategy,” she continued.
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 4, 2021.
