Service Coordination in HUD Housing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Bridging the Gap.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, service coordinators increased the capacity of a large and diffuse inter-organizational network to support lower-income older adults. Researchers conducted two surveys of service coordinators who worked with older residents of US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) multifamily properties in mid-2020 and late-2021. These residents experienced many pandemic-related disruptions to their support systems, and findings revealed ways that service coordinators assessed resident need, linked them to public benefits programs, improved their access to technology, translated public health responses, and facilitated access to partner organizations and professional supports. Through assessment and communication, and decision-management and problem solving, service coordinator work increased the efficiency and effectiveness of external supports available to help meet residents' needs for food, medicine, supplies, personal care, and mental and physical healthcare. With an aging population and an increasing rate of unpredictable weather events, service coordination, which is inconsistently funded and is not mandated for HUD properties, may offer an opportunity to improve the adaptability and resilience of older supported housing residents.

Establishing Academic Homes for Homelessness: A Call to Action.

Although homelessness ranks as one of society's most pressing and visible health equity challenges, the academic community has not actively addressed its health impacts, root causes, and potential solutions. Few schools and programs of public health even offer a basic course for students. In the COVID-19 pandemic era, academia must demonstrate urgency to address homelessness and educate learners, motivate fledgling researchers, inform policy makers, offer community-engaged and evidence-based studies, and join in the growing national debate about best approaches. At a minimum, every public health student should understand the interdisciplinary challenges of homelessness, its implications for health equity, and opportunities to address the crisis. We call for academia, particularly schools and programs of public health, to engage more fully in national partnerships to care for members of society who are most marginalized, in terms of health and behavioral health outcomes, quality of life, and connectedness.

What Can Be Done To Better Support Older Adults To Age Successfully In Their Homes And Communities?

The rapid growth of the US population ages seventy-five and older in the coming years will increase the need for housing that accommodates mobility limitations and helps connect residents with supportive services and opportunities for socialization. While expanding the supply of housing with services such as those provided by independent and assisted living facilities is needed, so too are greater supports to allow older adults with disabilities to age successfully in their homes and communities. These include financial support for modifications to the home, the delivery of supportive services in the home by both family and paid caregivers, and the expansion of housing options in communities where older adults live.

Housing, the Built Environment, and the Good Life.

At any age, the pursuit of a good life is easier in a physical environment that promotes health, supports activities important to self-fulfillment, and facilitates connections to the larger community. In old age, the home and neighborhood environments are particularly important: they are the locations where older people spend most their time, and they can have a great impact on independence, social connection, feelings of self-worth, and physical and emotional well-being. Within the urban planning field, home and neighborhood characteristics are important dimensions of debates about the measurement of human progress and quality of life, particularly as an alternative to purely economic measures. They are also key issues in public health, particularly as they relate to physical, social, and mental well-being. Here, we focus on how to improve the fit of environments for people as they age.