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I live in a 62+ tax credit apartment. The owners/investors get the tax credit. The max income to live here is somewhere around $25,000. The buildings are 4-plexes and each unit has both a front door and back door leading to outside. There is no cafeteria or community center other than the building housing the office.
These are 980 sq ft apartments, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, full size utility room with full size washer and dryer. They are independent living, although some people who live here have relatives who care for them. They really should be in a nursing home and leave the independent living apartments for those who can enjoy them.
The waiting list here is 4+ years.
Google Section 42. See if you can find a more compatible complex in your area. If you stick solely with independent living, you should find something with less sickness and basically helpless people. Yes, there are some of those where I live, but they rarely come outside, so they don't bother me.
NO, the only assets that count as income is if they produce income. If you have a chunk of cash in the bank producing no interest then there's no income.
I think you're confused. This sounds like a massive exaggeration.
I'm not even sure you know where you're applying. It's a HUD income based building, correct? The reason the apartments are "awesome" is because they got a HUD grant to renovate or build them with certain parameters of who can live there and why, how much they have to pay and if the place has to provide "services" or not.
You're obviously going there because you can't afford a normal rent building.
Residents in HUD buildings are determined by the grant the place has and the classification. For example "Section 8 202". They don't just throw everyone in one location regardless of their medical status.
First of all, there are probably other entrances/exits that you weren't shown because you're a guest, you have to go in the main entrance and don't have a key or key card. How many units are in this building? There can't be that many with ONE entrance/exit.
Secondly, if it's Independent Living ALL THE PEOPLE must be able to care for themselves or have private aides unless this facility has Assisted Living, Supportive Living or Skilled Nursing in the same building which I doubt. Some of them are for "the disabled" OR seniors, too. I've never seen Independent mixed with ALF or Memory Care or SNF and I walk dogs in ALL these types of facilities.
Lastly, why in the world are you thinking that the "judgmental, gossiping geezers" are going to care about your "comings and goings" if they're that "infirm"??? And why do you care?
Oh the irony.
I think you should find somewhere else to live where you're not offended or grossed out and not take the space that someone else needs who would actually appreciate it.
BTW the fact that it's 55+ and not 62+ is a sign that it's not "just" "the infirm" because MOST of them ARE 62+.
I think you're confused. This sounds like a massive exaggeration.
I'm not even sure you know where you're applying. It's a HUD income based building, correct? The reason the apartments are "awesome" is because they got a HUD grant to renovate or build them with certain parameters of who can live there and why, how much they have to pay and if the place has to provide "services" or not.
You're obviously going there because you can't afford a normal rent building.
Residents in HUD buildings are determined by the grant the place has and the classification. For example "Section 8 202". They don't just throw everyone in one location regardless of their medical status.
First of all, there are probably other entrances/exits that you weren't shown because you're a guest, you have to go in the main entrance and don't have a key or key card. How many units are in this building? There can't be that many with ONE entrance/exit.
Secondly, if it's Independent Living ALL THE PEOPLE must be able to care for themselves or have private aides unless this facility has Assisted Living, Supportive Living or Skilled Nursing in the same building which I doubt. Some of them are for "the disabled" OR seniors, too. I've never seen Independent mixed with ALF or Memory Care or SNF and I walk dogs in ALL these types of facilities.
Lastly, why in the world are you thinking that the "judgmental, gossiping geezers" are going to care about your "comings and goings" if they're that "infirm"??? And why do you care?
Oh the irony.
I think you should find somewhere else to live where you're not offended or grossed out and not take the space that someone else needs who would actually appreciate it.
BTW the fact that it's 55+ and not 62+ is a sign that it's not "just" "the infirm" because MOST of them ARE 62+.
I am on my second 62+ apartment. The first was a tax credit building, so the rent wasn't as affordable as I needed. But it's like living anywhere else, you find some nice people and some miserable people. This was in an upscale town in Massachusetts, and several of the residents were retired professionals and most everyone seemed fairly fit and active. There were three entrances including a large front entrance that opened on a community room. But no one ever hung out there, just people waiting for rides.
Now I am in a HUD subsidized 62+ apartment in Vermont. Each apartment is a separate unit attached to another, so I have a private entrance, no one above or below, and a back door that opens onto a little deck. It's a small complex and I am able to come and go without much hassle EXCEPT for a smoking bench that is across from my apartment. Three men sit there all day and stare at everyone who walks by, and a couple make inappropriate comments. Unfortunately, I have to pass them to walk my dog, and as time goes by it's gotten more intrusive. The place I lived before was non-smoking; here, residents can smoke in designated areas outside, but curiously a couple seem to give it up during the cold winter months and then start again when the weather is nice
There is a community room and several women sit there and gossip a good part of the day. I have to use the laundry in that building or I would never venture in. Everyone is extremely nosy and in your business. I am polite but firm in wanting to be left alone. I don't join in any of their activities (bingo, chair yoga, etc) as I have a life outside of this place and am physically very active. I don't care what they say about me, but I understand your concerns about passing through a group of them every time you come and go. As others have pointed out, there are probably other exits/entrances you can use. The one elevator is a concern as you have a dog and you might find it tedious to have to go up and down to take him out. I turned down an apartment on the fifth floor of another building simply because of the dog. Here I can just open my back door and take him out on a long lead.
My mom lived in a 55+ complex when she was in her 80's. She started having some mild dementia issues and I found that some of the women would tease her in a not-so-nice way when they would sit together in the lounge. My mom repeated herself quite a bit, and these vicious women were merciless.
Bottom line is those mean girls in high school are even meaner when they live in a situation where they have limited mobility, close proximity to others and time on their hands. They form the same kind of cliques. Bullying in these independent living apartments is a recognized problem, so be aware of that going forward. If you can have a life outside of the apartment, and find an easier ingress/egress, you will be fine. I would be careful turning down something where the rent is affordable and the apartment itself meets your needs. Waiting lists are long and you may not be able to find another. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you.
i lived in a 55+ building for several years and loved it. It allowed a certain percentage of non-55+ residents (I was one of those for the 5 years i lived there). There were 2 indoor pools, 2 out door pools, 2 gym areas, 2 hot tub spas, and the price was very cheap.
Yes, I am very grateful to say that I am healthy, fit and enjoy doing healthy and fit things. I still work part time and my income is under $30,000 and my assets are good. I just choose to live a frugal lifestyle and am keeping the bulk of my liquid assets for the times ahead (medical etc.).
This 55+ community does not have a means test. So all I have to do is show my income.
Loveautumn, I agree, it is a very big emotional adjustment and I am leaning toward not going into this community. Not right now, anyway. When life has slowed down and I feel like I want to just sit in the main area with the other "old folks" I will revisit this.
Sand and Salt....yes, it does suck.
The apartments are just awesome but the environment...not so much. Sad, really, really sad. So many sick people at this place.
More comments, please.
Your first post made it sound more like a nursing home than an apartment complex. I was considering moving to a very active 55+ community. A person could have a single family home, a villa or an apartment. However I am also a young 62 who works part time and I just don't know if I want to be surrounded by seniors all day long. Of course there are positives like no booming sound systems (unless the neighbors are deaf), no screaming kids running around and plenty of activities but I'm just not ready for that kind of environment just yet.
I am on my second 62+ apartment. The first was a tax credit building, so the rent wasn't as affordable as I needed. But it's like living anywhere else, you find some nice people and some miserable people. This was in an upscale town in Massachusetts, and several of the residents were retired professionals and most everyone seemed fairly fit and active. There were three entrances including a large front entrance that opened on a community room. But no one ever hung out there, just people waiting for rides.
.
Exactly. That's the type I described. I mentioned Section 42 tax credit apartments. Again, the units are 4-plexes where I live. It's the best of the best. We have our own doors leading outside, our own parking, our own yards if we want to have a garden. If I didn't have to walk my doggie multiple times per day, I would never see my neighbors. Yes, we have a club house kind of thing where we can meet if we wish, but we have to make an effort to go there. There's no gauntlet to walk through.
The Section 42 Program is not a government- subsidized rental program.
My mom lived in a 55+ rental complex south of Austin, TX. It was a combination of subsidized (low income) and market rate. It was brand new when she moved in in 2013 at age 74. The "main building" units were the subsidized units, with the market rate units in clusters of six one-stores attached units. These had a carport, a front and back door. It was a very nice set-up, and a nice transition for my mom, who was coming out of 50+ years of home ownership.
My mom never could settle in with a "group" there, but I will put more of that on her than on the facility. She seemed fixated on a certain small group of "popular kids" that wasn't really welcoming to her, but at the same time she herself pretty much shunned the folks in the main building, seeing herself as somehow better than them because of the income difference.
After about 18 months the heat in TX got to her and she moved to NM near me. I've posted before on the dearth of housing for the middle class senior, and Santa Fe is no exception. There are very pricy private places that combine independent/assisted living, a few even pricier buy-in continuing care communities, and then the subsidized complexes with a handful of market rate units. In the end, she wound up purchasing a condo in a very nice building that happens to hold a lot of folks just like her -- middle class senior retirees.
All that being said, communities are all different, with their own personalities. Don't write off all 55+ because of one bad experience.
My mom lived in a 55+ rental complex south of Austin, TX. It was a combination of subsidized (low income) and market rate. It was brand new when she moved in in 2013 at age 74. The "main building" units were the subsidized units, with the market rate units in clusters of six one-stores attached units. These had a carport, a front and back door. It was a very nice set-up, and a nice transition for my mom, who was coming out of 50+ years of home ownership.
My mom never could settle in with a "group" there, but I will put more of that on her than on the facility. She seemed fixated on a certain small group of "popular kids" that wasn't really welcoming to her, but at the same time she herself pretty much shunned the folks in the main building, seeing herself as somehow better than them because of the income difference.
After about 18 months the heat in TX got to her and she moved to NM near me. I've posted before on the dearth of housing for the middle class senior, and Santa Fe is no exception. There are very pricy private places that combine independent/assisted living, a few even pricier buy-in continuing care communities, and then the subsidized complexes with a handful of market rate units. In the end, she wound up purchasing a condo in a very nice building that happens to hold a lot of folks just like her -- middle class senior retirees.
All that being said, communities are all different, with their own personalities. Don't write off all 55+ because of one bad experience.
Oh, I agree I should not write anything off on just one experience.
The issue being is that this is the fourth that I have looked at...there is a management/builder group that is building these complexes for the 55+ and the 62+ in my area. They all kinda look alike, feel alike, etc.
For those of more means there are scads being built around this area. Of course, the amenities are top notch and so is the price. Why? I really do not know. I suspect that at some point it is just going to be a glut of upscale senior housing just like all the luxury apartment complexes with the nosebleed costs that are going up
. This is Indianapolis. One thing I do know is that there is a lot of government money going into these projects as I have read there are those that are beginning to complain where their tax dollars are going. I suppose that is where the answer lies. I really do not know.
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