Back To Table of Contents

Federal Programs and Local Organizations:
Meeting the Housing Needs of Rural Seniors

© Housing Assistance Council, 2001

Permission is granted ONLY to nonprofit community-based organizations to reproduce and/or adapt this document, and only for their own use.

CHENANGO COUNTY, NEW YORK

Introduction

Chenango County is located in south central New York near Binghamton, south of the Finger Lakes region. The county's hilly land was once dotted by numerous dairy farms. Dairy farming remains the primary agricultural activity even though many farms have been lost since the late 1970s. The county is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service as manufacturing-dependent, which means that 30 percent or more of labor and proprietor income was derived from manufacturing between 1987 and 1989. Manufacturing therefore provides the most employment opportunities, but plant closures and downsizing have reduced the manufacturing jobs available to county residents. This has contributed to the county having lower incomes than the statewide average and unemployment above the statewide level. Most of the county consists of small towns and villages, clusters of homes and a few stores at roadway intersections. Many residents live outside even these small population centers, in remote areas of the county in mobile homes or old farmhouses. The city of Norwich is the county seat, and has the county's largest population with 7,613 residents.

Chenango County had a 1990 population of 51,768, with white persons comprising almost 99 percent of residents. Of Chenango County's residents, 8,624 were elderly, or 17 percent of the population. The county had 19,195 households, of which 4,568, or 24 percent, were headed by a person 65 or older. Chenango County had a 1990 poverty rate of 11.7 percent, and 5.7 percent of elderly residents lived below poverty. Elderly residents, however, made up 6.2 percent of the poverty population. In some of the county's smaller communities, more than 25 percent of residents lived below poverty, and in outlying areas many of these residents lived as much as 50 to 60 percent below the poverty level.⁵⁰ Almost half of residents above age 60 had annual incomes less than $10,000 in 1996.⁵¹

In 1990 there were 19,141 occupied housing units, and almost 3 percent of these were substandard.⁵² Owner-occupied housing made up 75 percent of the county's units, with 25 percent renter-occupied. Twenty-four percent of both owner-occupied and renter-occupied units had an elderly head of the household. Among elderly renters, half paid more than 30 percent of their income for rent, and 19 percent of elderly homeowners were similarly cost-burdened. In addition to housing cost, the rural character of the county has isolated many elderly residents,.primarily homeowners. Almost 20 percent of elderly households report no vehicle available to them.⁵³

Chenango County has a number of housing and service organizations working to improve housing conditions and affordable housing options for low-income residents in general, and elderly residents in particular. Most of these organizations participate in both informal and formal networks to better coordinate their resources and to reach clients in the remote areas of the county.

Housing and social service providers all noted the strong preference of their elderly clients to maintain independent living in their own homes. Given the high rate of homeownership in this rural county, and the preference of seniors to age in place, organizations serving the county's elderly residents have placed a high priority on extending assistance to elderly homeowners.

Owner-Occupied Housing and Assistance for Elderly Homeowners

Three-quarters of Chenango County's housing stock is owner-occupied, and much of this housing is old, often substandard, and without adequate water and sewer connections. In nine out of the 21 towns in the county, 40 percent or more of the owner-occupied housing are more than 60 years old. In 11 of the 12 remaining towns, between 24 and 38 percent of the owner-occupied homes predate 1939. Not only is the housing stock in Chenango County quite old, most houses lack access to municipal sewer and water systems. Over 69 percent of houses are not connected to municipal water systems, and 87 percent are not connected to municipal sewer. Over 1,800 homes receive their water from springs, creeks, rivers, lakes or cisterns.⁵⁴

The lack of zoning regulations and health and safety codes complicates efforts by housing providers and county government to improve housing conditions, particularly in the smaller towns and outlying areas of the county. Some municipalities in the county still lack their own sanitary ordinances, and many have only limited zoning ordinances. Even in the communities that have adopted zoning and sanitary codes, there is a lack of inspectors. The Chenango County Planning Department has estimated that between 70 and 80 percent of houses in the county have health and safety violations under the county's code.⁵⁵ Local housing providers agreed that a countywide program is required to assist towns with code enforcement needs, particularly in providing new water and septic systems to residents of the smaller towns and more remote areas of the county.

Local housing and service providers also noted the increasing reliance on mobile homes by low-income residents. According to the 1990 Census, over 20 percent of the county's housing stock consisted of mobile homes. Since 1990, half of all housing permits issued were for mobile home placements. One local housing provider observed that almost half of the organization's rehabilitation work involves mobile home repairs. None of the mobile homes rehabilitated had been secured with a footer or a slab. According to local housing agencies, many of the mobile homes placed in recent years are purchased used, and are often poorly sited and installed. Local housing providers agreed that the proliferation of substandard mobile home units is one of the most significant housing issues in the county.⁵⁶

Given the prevalence of older homes, substandard housing, lack of adequate sewer and septic systems, and deteriorating mobile home units, housing providers have focused a great deal of their assistance efforts on rehabilitation work. The RHS Section 504 program is one source of assistance used in the county to help elderly homeowners. As of January 1999, there have been a total of seven Section 504 grants, 15 loans, and one combination grant and loan. Section 504 activity has increased in recent years. In each year from 1993 through 1997, only two Section 504 grant or loan awards were made, while in 1998 four elderly residents received Section 504 assistance, and as of January 1999 five have received Section 504 funding.

Opportunities for Chenango, Inc. (OFC) is the community action agency serving the county. Founded in 1965, OFC administers a variety of programs that assist Chenango County's low-income residents, including case management to help families avoid homelessness and move toward self-sufficiency, case management for pregnant teens, Head Start and Even Start adult literacy, and nutrition and health services including healthcare outreach. OFC also provides substantial housing services to the county's low-income residents. The agency administers Section 8 rental assistance in Chenango County's rural towns outside of Norwich, and runs a Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency program. In addition, the organization provides case management for an emergency homeless shelter in Norwich run in conjunction with other local agencies. OFC also offers services for low-income and elderly homeowners. The organization provides assistance for first-time homebuyers, has a HUD-certified housing counseling program, and processes applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). OFC also administers a weatherization assistance program, an appliance replacement program in Norwich, and a program to secure and install replacement parts for mobile homes.

OFC's weatherization program provides energy audits and insulation installation for low- to moderate-income residents. Approximately one-third of the homeowners who have received weatherization assistance were elderly. OFC has been doing weatherization work for about 25 years, and has assisted over 3,000 clients through this program. In 1999, limited funding will allow OFC to serve approximately 78 clients, while in past years OFC typically served between 175 and 200 clients per year. OFC has had to reduce its weatherization staff from three work crews to one. Waiting lists also remain long. In fact, as prospective clients enter OFC's office, a sign informs them that the organization is no longer taking applications for weatherization assistance. As of March 1999, OFC had 58 households already approved for assistance on a waiting list, and another 90 households waiting for their applications to be processed.

OFC also has funding through a contract with the Department of Social Services for energy packaging assistance. The Weatherization Referral and Packaging program (WRAP) funds energy efficiency needs assessments, assistance developing energy efficiency plans, and referrals to contractors to help clients improve the energy efficiency of their homes. OFC served 46 clients through the WRAP program from January through March 1999, 21 of whom were elderly. In fact, the program's objectives emphasize service to elderly residents who have low incomes and substantial energy needs, as well as helping elderly clients maintain independent living in their homes.

OFC has blended its weatherization program with Section 504 funding to assist some clients. The group's staff also helped some elderly clients prepare their Section 504 applications, and clients receive follow-up counseling on energy efficiency as part of the weatherization program. OFC has been told that weatherization clients are good customers for the Rural Development office administering Section 504 grants and loans. Weatherization documentation and the follow-up counseling have helped clients meet the terms of their Section 504 loans and grants.

Another energy assistance program used by OFC is LIHEAP. LIHEAP can be used for heating assistance, cooling assistance, energy crisis intervention (such as paying fuel bills for low-income clients), and low-cost residential weatherization and other energy-related home repair. The Department of Social Services has contracted OFC to administer LIHEAP to low-income households not receiving public assistance. LIHEAP serves approximately 850 OFC clients per year, and this program has provided energy assistance to over 2,000 OFC clients.

OFC has also received $400,000 in HOME funds which will be used in 1999 to do rehabilitation work, with an emphasis on improving well and septic systems. As of March 1999, about 22 people have gone through the intake process, half of whom are 65 or older. OFC staff estimate that the program will invest an average of $12,000 in each home rehabilitated.

Through the Chenango County Housing Council, OFC participates in an interesting rehabilitation program. The Chenango County Housing Council, a local network of housing and social service providers, has designated OFC the host agency for Group Work Camps, a faith-based service organization. The organization brings young men and women to Chenango County for a week in the summer to do rehabilitation work. OFC arranges for a town to house the youth in a school building, and raises funds to match the contribution made by Group Work Camps. Group Work Camps contributes approximately $30,000 for the week's work, which includes the expenses of participants and materials for rehabilitation work. The participants raise their own tuition, and work on approximately 20 to 30 homes during the week. They do roofing, painting, installing ramps for handicapped access to homes, and similar small-scale repairs. Most of the clients are elderly homeowners, who are reached through referrals by the Area Agency on Aging, OFC client files, and local churches and civic organizations. OFC also arranges for local volunteers, including skilled carpenters, to supervise the more complex jobs, such as installing ramps or repairing roofs.

The Chenango County Department of Planning and Development also provides rehabilitation assistance. The Planning Department has funded homeowner rehabilitation through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). In addition, the Planning Department has encourages towns and villages to adopt and enforce sanitation, zoning, and building codes in an effort to improve the quality of public utility service, land use, and maintenance of homes.

Although the Planning Department has not specifically targeted assistance to elderly homeowners, a large number of their clients have been elderly residents. The rehabilitation work was funded by CDBG from 1988 through 1996, with 1997 the last year in which the Planning Department was able to rehabilitate homes with these funds. Since 1997, the Planning Department has not received a CDBG award for housing work. The receipt of federal storm relief funds in 1998 was cited by HUD staff as one factor contributing to denial of CDBG applications for rehabilitation work in 1998 and 1999.

The Planning Department prioritized rehabilitation work among the county's townships, with rehabilitation focused on one township per year. Since they have not received additional CDBG funds for rehabilitation work, there are a number of areas within the county that have not yet received this service. Over the nine years of CDBG funding, the Planning Department served 158 households, almost one-third of which were headed by elderly homeowners. The average income of elderly households receiving the rehabilitation services was just over $13,000. The median income in Chenango County in 1999 is $38,100, so most of the elderly households assisted by the Planning Department had incomes less than 50 percent of the area median. Clients applied directly to the Planning Department for this assistance. The Planning Department publicized the program through public meetings and newspaper advertising. Other groups doing outreach, such as OFC's weatherization crews or outreach workers with the Agency on Aging, would also refer clients in unsafe homes to the Planning Department's program. Rehabilitation clients had to have low to moderate incomes, be located in a target area or designated municipality, and have substantial rehabilitation needs on their homes. The Planning Department directed clients to approved contractors, and then provided funding to the clients to pay the contractors they selected for the work.

Almost 86 percent of CDBG funds received by the Planning Department have been used for housing improvement, as compared to about 12 percent for public facilities and 3 percent for economic development activities. The most common rehabilitation was improvement or replacement of unsafe electrical systems, done in 63 percent of units. Repairs to roofs were the next most commonly done work, with almost 50 percent of units needing this repair. Forty percent or more of the units rehabilitated through the Planning Department's program had work done on water, septic, and heating systems. More than 35 percent of the homes rehabilitated required work on foundations.

In 1998, the Planning Department also administered a $600,000 grant to provide storm relief, some of which included repairs and rehabilitation to homes damaged by severe storms and flooding that year. A number of the clients assisted with these funds were elderly homeowners. However, priority for the use of the grant funds was given to covering insurance claims, reimbursement for New York State emergency services, and reimbursement of FEMA expenditures in the disaster areas. No more than $50,000 of the grant could be used for the Planning Department's administrative costs.

Despite the focus on rehabilitation among Chenango County housing providers and public agencies, a tremendous need remains for this assistance. Limited funding has hampered efforts by housing providers to assist elderly homeowners who wish to age in place, particularly in.areas of the county that have not yet been designated to receive rehabilitation assistance through the Planning Department.

Chenango County housing and service providers have not only done significant work helping elderly homeowners. They have also developed an impressive array of rental housing options for elderly residents who may not be able to physically or financially maintain their homes. Not only have a number of affordable rental projects been developed, but they have been sited in many of the county's smaller towns, so that seniors living in the county's outlying areas may still reside within or near their own communities.

Rental Housing Options for Seniors

Seniors in Chenango County have a wide array of affordable rental housing choices. The RHS Section 515 rural rental housing program has financed development of 15 projects, with many located in the county's smaller townships. Section 515 has helped finance development of 348 units in these projects, many designated for occupancy by elderly residents. The Norwich Housing Authority and OFC administer Section 8 rental assistance throughout the county as well, and the Housing Authority has public housing units for elderly tenants. In addition, HUD's Section 202 program has helped fund an elderly housing project in Norwich. Although social service and housing providers all agreed that elderly homeowners are very reluctant to leave their homes and move into rental housing, the organizations and agencies that manage affordable rental housing in the county have not had any problems leasing up their units.

One of the primary nonprofit developers of multifamily housing outside of Norwich has been the Chenango Housing Improvement Program, Inc. (CHIP). CHIP has developed a number of rental projects in the rural areas of Chenango County. Most of the units in CHIP projects are designated for occupancy by elderly residents. All of the projects were financed by the Section 515 rural rental housing program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service (RHS, formerly the Farmers Home Administration). Some the projects serve as meal distribution centers for the nutrition program serving Chenango County's elderly residents.

CHIP is responsible for developing and managing the largest number of the Section 515 projects in the county, although the organization did purchase two of the projects that had been developed by for-profit companies. With the exception of one project in Norwich, the eight CHIP-managed projects are located in some of the smaller towns in the county. One interesting project in Smyrna converted an older schoolhouse to affordable housing. CHIP's projects have a total of 169 units, 147 of which are reserved for elderly tenants. Other Section 515 projects, built by for-profit developers, are located in other small towns such as Bainbridge, Greene, New Berlin, and Sherburne. The New Berlin Housing and Preservation Company, Inc., designated a Rural Preservation Company by New York State, also has done rehabilitation work and manages 37 units of subsidized rental housing in the town of New Berlin.

CHIP has accessed a variety of funding sources to supplement the Section 515 financing in its projects. Two of the Section 515 projects have Section 8 new construction funding, two projects include federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), and one project also has funding through the New York State Housing Trust Fund. The Trust Fund contribution is a 30-year loan, forgivable if the project is maintained for low-income occupancy over that period. Most of the units have RHS Section 521 rental assistance, and three projects have some units with rental assistance provided by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). This source of rental assistance is granted on a 15-year contract that is renewable, and only requires reporting from sponsoring organizations every five years. Chenango County housing providers with rental housing development experience agreed that there are few difficulties using New York State affordable housing programs. They noted that DHCR program staff do a good job working closely with district and state Rural Development offices to coordinate their programs with the requirements of Section 515. CHIP has worked in the past with Rural Development and DHCR program staff to improve coordination of resources and work out flexible arrangements for using different programs within the same projects.

There is a high percentage of elderly clients in CHIP projects with very low incomes, and most are single, older women. Although there are a few married couples, they comprise a very small portion of CHIP tenant households. Very low-income households are 90 percent of tenants in CHIP's projects, with 7 percent low-income and 3 percent moderate-income tenants. Single older women are almost 70 percent of all tenants. Single men are 23 percent of tenants, and couples 7 percent. With the exception of one Norwich project developed in 1998, CHIP has focused its rental housing development work on the smaller towns in the county, with the understanding that the Norwich Housing Authority is primarily responsible for meeting the affordable rental needs of Norwich residents.

The Norwich Housing Authority administers public housing and Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance within the city of Norwich. The Housing Authority has a project, Peacock Park Manor, with 64 units of public housing occupied by elderly tenants. Almost all of the tenants in Peacock Park Manor have very low incomes with 75 percent having annual incomes less than $12,000. Almost 75 percent of the tenants are single white women, and only three married couples live at Peacock Park Manor. The Housing Authority's public housing is in demand among elderly residents in Chenango County seeking affordable rental housing, with 46 elderly clients on the waiting list for the Peacock Park project. Approximately two-thirds of elderly public housing residents relocated to Norwich from smaller towns outside the city. The primary reasons these tenants have given for their moves into Norwich are to be closer to centralized services and amenities, such as public transportation, county government services, and shopping.

A faith-based organization, United Methodist Homes, has built a 40-unit project in Norwich using HUD's Section 202 program. This is a continuing care facility, which means that services are available to assist tenants with daily needs, but not to the extent found in a long-term care facility such as a nursing home.

Private developers have also accessed public financing sources to build subsidized rental housing for the county's elderly residents. There are three Section 515 projects located in Norwich, one of which was developed by CHIP, with the others developed by for-profit developers. Both of the for-profit developers used Section 515 in conjunction with Section 8 new construction funding. In all, Norwich has 88 units of Section 515 housing, all of which are designated for occupancy by elderly tenants. Another project built by a for-profit developer in Norwich provides 100 units of rental housing, financed with HUD Section 236 and Section 8 new construction. Finally, there is a privately developed assisted living project with 12 rental units in Norwich. This project has no subsidies, and was described by local housing and service providers as "luxury" housing for area seniors. However, it is the only assisted living facility in Chenango County.

There are five or six nursing homes to meet the long-term care needs of Chenango County's elderly residents. Housing and service providers noted that the county has substantial nursing home care available for such a rural county.

The Housing Authority also administers Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance within Norwich. The Housing Authority administers 165 certificates and vouchers, of which approximately 15 percent have been issued to elderly tenants. The Housing Authority has contracted with OFC to administer Section 8 rental assistance for Chenango County residents outside of Norwich. OFC administers 180 certificates and vouchers. As of March 1999, 87 of OFC's Section 8 clients are elderly. OFC has between 200 and 300 people on their Section 8 waiting list, and applicants must wait approximately 18 months on the waiting list before receiving assistance.

Chenango County housing providers noted a number of challenges in their efforts to increase the stock of affordable rentals available for elderly residents. Housing providers observed that it is becoming more difficult to access federal funding, especially given the large number of Section 515 and other subsidized projects in the county. They also point to unmet rental housing needs. Although Chenango County has a substantial amount of subsidized rental housing, and a significant number of nursing homes for a rural county, few options are available between these two extremes. There is only one affordable continuing care facility in the county, the United Methodist Housing Section 202 project in Norwich. It is the only subsidized project that provides substantial support services to assist residents with the tasks of daily living, without the more comprehensive services and loss of independence associated with nursing home care. The only assisted living project in the county, providing more services than a typical Section 515 project, but more independence and fewer services than the Section 202 housing, is not subsidized. Low-income seniors in the county generally cannot afford to live in this facility. Affordable housing providers would therefore like to develop more assisted living projects to meet this need among the county's low-income elderly residents.

Services for Elderly Residents

The Chenango County Area Agency on Aging is the principal agency providing services to the county's senior residents. The Agency on Aging has eight senior centers, which serve not only as places for seniors to participate in social activities, but also as places where seniors may take congregate meals. The Agency on Aging also has outreach workers assigned to different geographic areas in the county, and these outreach workers extend a variety of healthcare and nutrition services to senior residents in Chenango County's rural areas. The Chenango County Public Health Department also does healthcare outreach work with elderly residents, but requires a doctor's referral in order to visit clients.

Chenango County housing and social service providers pointed out that the Agency on Aging was the primary conduit through which elderly residents were referred to their own programs. The Agency on Aging is a division of the county government. Agency on Aging services include nutrition counseling, delivery of congregate meals and home meal delivery, housekeeper assistance, and in-home personal care. Other services include administering LIHEAP for county seniors, an emergency telephone response system, an employment referral service, legal assistance for Chenango County seniors, and assistance to residents of long-term care facilities and their families. The Agency on Aging also manages eight senior centers throughout the county, which provide activities, special programs and lunch time meals. In addition, the Agency on Aging also has an adult day center program for people with physical or mental disabilities who need supervision, and which provides relief for primary caregivers of such individuals.

The Agency on Aging has outreach workers assigned to different parts of the county. Outreach workers provide information, assistance and referrals on health, housing, finances, and other matters. The Agency on Aging frequently refers elderly homeowners whose houses are in disrepair to OFC's weatherization program. If Agency on Aging clients express a desire to move into rental housing, outreach workers provide referrals to subsidized rental housing providers such as the Norwich Housing Authority and CHIP, and sometimes assist in completing applications for residency in these organizations' affordable rentals.

The core service provided by the Agency on Aging is its nutrition program, which includes meal delivery. The Agency on Aging made an arrangement with CHIP to use some of its Section 515 projects as distribution points for meal delivery. Home-delivered meals for some of the outlying towns and villages are picked up at these locations by volunteers, many of whom are retired. In the two projects which have senior centers, the nutrition program makes food deliveries for congregate meals. The nutrition program operates every week from Monday through Friday. It is the program through which many Chenango County seniors hear about other Agency on Aging services, and about the housing assistance available from other organizations in the county.

In order to deliver food to distribution points in smaller towns, the Agency on Aging asked the private company providing senior public transportation that food deliveries be made on the public transportation vans as they drove their routes through the county. Section 515 projects throughout the county are regular stops on the van routes, so it was most efficient to send food deliveries for congregate meals and home delivery on the vans.

The Agency on Aging and Norwich Housing Authority have also worked together to provide a day center for elderly and disabled residents in Norwich. The Housing Authority provides the community room in its elderly public housing project, and the Agency on Aging oversees the program. Many of the participants are elderly residents with Alzheimer's disease, other mental limitations, or physical impairments. The day center operates two days a week from 9:00 in the morning to 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon. One of the goals of this program is to provide respite for the caregivers of these elderly and disabled county residents. The Housing Authority and Agency on Aging also collaborate to assist the Norwich Senior Citizens club. The club uses the.Housing Authority's community room one day a week for social events that may include card games, meals and other activities.

The Agency on Aging, through its various programs, serves between 1,500 and 2,000 elderly residents per year. Approximately half of the clients are low-income elderly households, with incomes below 150% of the poverty level. More than half of Agency on Aging clients are 75 years or older.

Chenango County housing and service providers have developed both informal and formal collaborative networks through which they have coordinated housing and services for the county's elderly residents. These collaborative efforts have played a significant role in accessing federal funding to deliver services and housing assistance more efficiently to senior residents throughout the county, including its more remote, outlying areas.

Collaborative Efforts

Chenango County housing providers have developed a forum through which they can share information about their programs and collaborate in providing housing assistance and developing new projects and programs. Members of the Housing Council include nonprofit housing providers like OFC, public agencies such as the Norwich Housing Authority and the Planning Department, social service providers like the Agency on Aging, and private interests, such as officials with local banks.

The Housing Council's priorities include establishing an improved approach to housing planning in Chenango County, improved coordination of existing and new resources to better meet housing needs, and advocacy on important housing issues. The Housing Council is working on a public education campaign to raise awareness of housing issues within the county, and has provided letters of support for housing initiatives undertaken by different participants. Housing Council participants have collaborated in drafting an Emergency Housing Rehabilitation plan for the county, and have worked to coordinate grant applications. This has helped limit competition between local housing and service providers for the same grant sources.

Informally, most housing and social service providers have developed relationships which facilitate coordination of resources and programs. The Agency on Aging provides referrals to OFC weatherization services and to CHIP's Section 515 rental housing. OFC and the Norwich Housing Authority have collaborated in maintaining the county's only homeless shelter, with the Housing Authority paying the rent for the three-unit shelter and OFC providing case management services. CHIP provides space at two of its Section 515 projects in smaller towns for the Agency on Aging to maintain field offices, at nominal rent.

Housing and social service providers cite numerous benefits resulting from informal collaborations and working together on the Housing Council. When one group submits grant or loan applications for projects or programs, others in the network provide letters of support, or provide their own resources to supplement the project. The collaborations also allow more complete referral services. If Agency on Aging outreach workers visit a home on behalf of the nutrition program, they will refer their client to a local housing organization if the house needs rehabilitation. They have also made referrals to local rental housing providers when their elderly clients rental housing because of inability to physically or financially maintain the home. The primary benefit of such collaboration is that organizations are able to collectively provide important services desired by elderly residents that no single group could obtain or maintain individually.

Also, such a high level of collaboration has led to a greater degree of specialization among housing and service providers, so that they are less likely to compete with one another for limited funding sources. For example, OFC and the Planning Department are regarded as the central contacts for homeowner rehabilitation services, CHIP and the Norwich Housing Authority are recognized as the primary agencies developing and maintaining affordable rental housing, and the Agency on Aging is considered the focal point for service provision to county seniors.

Local organizations and agencies specialized not only in their housing and service tasks, but also in determining the geographical areas in which they generally work. Examples include OFC administering Section 8 rental assistance in rural areas of Chenango County, while the Norwich Housing Authority administers Section 8 in the county seat. In this case, the Housing Authority could have taken steps to extend its jurisdiction beyond Norwich, but instead worked with OFC, which already served the balance of the county through its weatherization program and other services. CHIP has mostly developed affordable rental housing in Chenango County's smaller towns and villages, while the Norwich Housing Authority has generally taken the lead developing affordable rental housing in Norwich, or supporting proposals by other Norwich-based groups such as United Methodist Housing.

Despite the success of nonprofit organizations and public agencies in securing resources to meet the housing needs of seniors, housing and social service providers noted a number of unmet needs and ongoing challenges, particularly concerning efforts to serve elderly residents living in Chenango County's more remote towns and villages.

Overview and Local Recommendations

Chenango County housing and social service providers were not able to explain why the county has had success accessing housing funding to meet the needs of elderly residents. Certainly, there are a large number of elderly residents, and substandard housing is prevalent among low-income and elderly homeowners throughout the county. Also contributing to program success is the great degree of collaboration between the county's housing and social service providers. Good working relationships between local organizations, state agencies, and the Rural Development office serving Chenango County also help attract funding for programs and projects.

Housing and social service providers noted a number of gaps remaining in targeting the housing needs of seniors in Chenango County. All housing and social service providers noted that while many elderly homeowners had been served through the Planning Department's rehabilitation program and OFC's weatherization services, a great deal of need still exists for owner-occupied rehabilitation work. This is a high priority for the housing and social service agencies that serve the county's elderly residents, because these services help elderly homeowners maintain independent living for longer periods in their homes. Lack of funding through CDBG, Section 504, and other sources was the primary obstacle cited by housing and social service providers.

Another gap that exists is the limited availability of assisted living units. Only one rental housing project, located in Norwich, provides assisted living services, and it is unsubsidized. Another project, subsidized and affordable to seniors with low incomes, is run by Methodist Housing. This Section 202 project offers more services than the Section 515 projects in the county, but not as extensive services as the unsubsidized assisted living facility. Housing and social service providers observed that their elderly clients believe the county offers only two basic housing options – living in one's own home, and long-term nursing home care. Although there are other options, such as home meal delivery and healthcare services, as well as subsidized rental housing for seniors throughout the county, there is little housing available that provides more extensive services to help elderly tenants maintain some level of independence without the extensive care associated with nursing homes.

One housing provider noted that there are few attractive housing options for elderly residents whose incomes are too high to qualify for subsidized housing programs, but too low to afford market rate housing with more extensive services. Another housing provider felt that affordable homeownership units sited near or in Norwich would address a need among county seniors whose homes are too large for them to maintain, who want to be closer to shopping, transportation and other services, and who do not want to move into rental housing. Such a project, consisting of duplex owner-occupied units, is currently being considered by the Norwich Housing Authority. The larger homes formerly occupied by elderly owners could be purchased by local affordable housing providers, rehabilitated, and sold at low rates to low-income families.

Some housing and social service providers doing outreach in Chenango County's smaller towns and villages have regularly encountered frail elderly persons with limited support from family, living remotely from neighbors in very dilapidated housing. When these elderly clients are referred to the Section 504 program, outreach workers have reported that the clients will often be reluctant to take a Section 504 loan. They recognize the need to finance the repairs needed to make their homes safe, but are reluctant to put a lien on a house for which they have already paid. They are also fearful of the inheritance consequences of remortgaging their homes, since the houses are often the only real asset they can pass on to children. Addressing these and similar service concerns among elderly residents has posed challenges for outreach workers attempting to extend housing and social services throughout the county.

Other challenges have arisen from the restructuring of federal agencies. Chenango County once had a Rural Development office, but it was closed as part of consolidating Rural Development services. Applicants for Section 504 loans and grants or Section 502 subsidized mortgages must now travel to a neighboring county to meet with Rural Development staff. In addition, some elderly clients have had difficulty negotiating Rural Development's new centralized servicing system for single-family housing loans. Some have had trouble understanding the paperwork they receive through the mail, and difficulty negotiating the automated phone system when they have questions which they once posed to local Rural Development staff. Finally, some local housing providers have had difficulty obtaining training and technical assistance from Rural Development staff. One housing provider addressed this problem by making special arrangements to have a trainer come to Norwich, because the organization could not afford to send all of its staff outside the county for the necessary training.

Other recommendations by housing and social service providers include ongoing efforts to improve code enforcement, continued expansion of transportation and services to remote areas of the county, and increased staff for the Planning Department to assist in rehabilitation and other housing and community development work.

Chenango County housing and service providers are proud of their accomplishments meeting the housing needs of elderly homeowners and renters. They are also proud of their collaborative efforts. Collaboration among housing and service providers appears to be a key component in obtaining federal, state and local support for housing initiatives serving the county's senior residents. It has also proved effective in helping elderly clients understand and access the full range of programs available in Chenango County.

Back To Table of Contents