Housing


Community rowhomes.

 

According to the British Columbia Seniors’ Poverty Report Card, “In 2016, almost one in five seniors (65+ years old) (18.8%) in British Columbia reported housing affordability challenges.  These were in households spending 30% or more of their before-tax household incomes on their housing costs.  BC reported the third highest incidence of housing affordability challenges among seniors in Canada.  The percentage of seniors reporting housing affordability challenges in British Columbia was similar to the rate in Canada (19.4%).  Overall, there were 144,790 seniors in British Columbia facing unaffordable housing costs in 2016.”

In a 2020 Seniors’ Homelessness in BC research presentation, Sarah Canham (PhD) reported that seniors are being “priced out” of the housing market  Many others are facing excessive wait lists for long-term care facilities.  Such factors contribute to older adults being at risk of experiencing homelessness in BC.  “The average age of single adults experiencing homelessness has increased in the past 30 years – 35%-50% of single homeless adults are aged 50 and older” (Canham, 2020).

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