Apr 20, 2013 3 min read

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William Garrow couldn’t say it often enough – there is a dearth of housing for senior citizens, not just in Greene, but in Washington and Fayette counties as well.

Garrow should know. As manager of the Greene County district office for Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging, he sees firsthand the dilemma seniors face when they are about to lose their housing.

“And it’s not always their fault,” he said.

More seniors are aging into homelessness, unable to afford rising rents and having less access to health care as budgets are cut, according to Karen Bennett, executive director of the Greene County Human Services Department.

“It can be so economically difficult,” Garrow explained. “Some seniors transfer their property to other relatives so they can remain in their home. The family will pay the taxes and keep their elderly relative there,” he said. “That’s how a lot of people are being taken care of here.”

In Greene County, Garrow noted that the gas-drilling industry is buying up a lot of houses, and some people cannot afford to stay in their homes and pay the rent that inevitably will be raised.

Lois Mocniak, executive director of the Greene County Housing Authority, added a different spin.

“Let’s say a spouse were to die. That means the household has less money coming in and the surviving spouse cannot afford to stay there any longer,” she said.

That elderly husband or wife basically has three choices: Find affordable elderly housing, go to a nursing home or move in with his or her children.

When thinking about homelessness, the elderly issue doesn’t immediately come to mind. Homeless elders, although increasing in numbers, continue to be a forgotten population.

“Properties have become quite valuable in Greene County, especially with the influx of drillers associated with coal, oil and gas extraction,” Garrow said. “Many seniors rent, and that’s who we mostly deal with – renters.”

Now, their landlord just might want that property for drillers, so they raise the rent to a point that the senior renter cannot pay. “So these elderly renters have no choice but to get out, and when they do leave, where do they go?” Garrow asked.

When that happens, Garrow said he directs them to the Greene County Housing Authority, which rents units specifically designed for the elderly.

“So far, I believe, the housing authority has been able to accommodate the seniors who come to realize they have no place to call home.”

Garrow made it clear that there are many landlords who are willing to work with the people to whom they are renting. “Most are compassionate people,” he said.

With the elderly population on the upswing in Greene County, Garrow said one of his agency’s goals is to keep seniors in their homes.

“I know that is not always possible, but people tend to do so much better and enjoy a better quality of life in their own home.”