GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION A major recommendation of the delegates to the Section on Government and Non-Government organization was that advocacy with and on behalf of the elderly should be a vested responsibility of government. Perhaps the most successful model for the execution of such responsibility has been the functioning of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. While this Committee does not have authority to report legislation, its influence through calling attention to problem, gathering data concerning them, proposing solutions, serving as a focal point for concern, and functioning as a counterweight to Executive Branch organization devoted to older persons has been and continues to be enormous. The New York Legislature has had a similar committee for many years. Recently, the California Legislature established one. The Oregon Legislature is experimenting along those lines. Other State and local legislative bodies are urged to study the model and adopt it in an appropriate form. How state and local government organize their concern for the well-being of older persons varies throughout the nation. These variations reflect healthy differences in perception about the most appropriate relationships between programs for the aging and other public programs within the various States. No matter how a unit of government organizes its programs for the elderly, a useful mechanism for bringing about greater coordina tion of such programs, for representing the interests of the elderly, and for interpreting the efforts of government to them is the designation of an official charged with these responsibilities within an appropriately influential office in State or local government. All units of government are urged to consider the possibility of such a designation. A major concern of the Delegates to the Section on Government and Non-Government Organization of the White House Conference on Aging was greater use by the public sector of the strengths of the private sector. One barrier to greater use of the private sector is the lack of funds within the private sector for development of programs, including planning and capacity building. State and local agencies on aging therefore, are urged to devote immediate attention to working with organizations within the private sector on proposals for the use of revenue sharing funds, adult services funds, and Older Americans Act funds to support the development of innovative service programs which after development will be delivered in the private sector. HOUSING Delegates to the Housing Section of the White House Conference on Aging assumed the continuation of the Federal housing subsidy programs. They addressed most of their recommendations to proposing changes in the national policies governing these Federal programs. But they also called repeatedly for similar action to be taken at the State and local levels by both public and private sectors. Regardless of how seriously the Federal housing subsidy programs are curtailed, vigorous efforts must be made to encourage State and local governments to develop programs patterned after the successful experience of a number of States that have established programs for housing the elderly. These can provide guidance for the development of additional State and local programs throughout the nation. Already at least 25 States have housing assistance agencies (HAA's). Although most are not addressed specifically to elderly housing, they are equipped to plan and administer such programs. Three sources of specific suggestions for state action and related local community actions are: --A "Handbook of Model State Statutes" which was published by the National Council of Senior Citizens, Inc., provides examples of statutes on such topics as standards, rent control, state public housing authorities, nonprofit rental housing, tax relief through income tax credit for property taxes paid and homestead tax exemptions for owners and refunds for renters. --"Alternatives for Action: Housing" published by the --"Not Beyond Reach" is the story of how a local community (Rochester, New York) helped solve the problem of housing for the elderly through the use of the MitchellLama Limited Profit Housing Company Law of New York State, the local government and a private non-profit development and management corporation. On the basis of these three documents and the intent of the Conference delegates, it is recommended that all States establish a central housing agency to perform the functions at the State and local level which would assure, among other things, that there will be: --an increasing supply of housing for the elderly of --a state elderly housing subsidy program which would elderly and would assist local community non-profit --technical assistance to local non-profit groups and pro- --coordination of all State and local planning, programs, --an inventory of the type and adequacy of existing --a means of keeping rents low by local tax abatement and a system of land leasing by the city at a nominal yearly cost. State and local governments will also wish to recognize the fact that the several Federal Housing programs designed particularly for the elderly are being reduced or completely phased out does not lessen the need for suitable living arrangements for the elderly at rentals that they can afford. Preliminary figures show that from January 1963 to December 1972 222,866 low rent housing units have been built for the elderly. Under the HUD 202 program 43,938 housing units have been successfully completed in the last ten fiscal years, yet these represent only a small percentage of the total need as indicated by recent studies. We must make every effort to persuade the Federal Covernment that the Housing programs for the elderly have been successful and therefore should be judged separately from other housing programs. Nonetheless, to meet the great need for housing for the elderly, State and local governments should enter into the development of such housing instead of relying completely on the Federal Government for all the housing needs of the elderly. One successful technique that has been used is the development of a three way partnership between the state government, the local government and a local private non-profit group. The State finances a long term mortgage through a bond issue, the local government supplies city-owned land and some tax abatement and the private non-profit corporation assumes full responsibility for the development and management of the project. The justification for the tax abatement is based on the agreement that at the end of the mortgage period, the title of the housing project reverts to the city. In developing State and local programs, consideration should be given to the 25 housing recommendations adopted by the White House Conference. These recommendations include such programs as supportive, social and outreach services. Another initiative that should be taken by communities is to assist the elderly in retaining home ownership by some tax relief and by some grants or loans to rehabilitate their homes. This is now being done in many communities. In some cases, it is becoming too difficult for the elderly to physically maintain their homes, even though they may receive some financial help through tax abatement. For these cases, a program should be developed by which the elderly owner can be helped financially to rehabilitate his home and then to rent it using the rent to pay for low rental apartment built specifically for the elderly. It is further recommended that each State hold, within the next few months, a state forum addressed to housing the elderly. Participants in this forum should represent legislators, State and local planning agencies, professional, business and industrial groups concerned with housing, and representatives of the older consumer group. The AARP-NTRA National Forum for State Legislators provides a pattern for such a conference. INCOME When the Delegates to the 1971 Conference on Aging met, the final form of H. R. 1 was more than 10 months away. At that time, the Conference Delegates recommended that older persons be provided with a guaranteed minimum income and that the income be adequate to meet requirements of an intermediate standard of living. H.R. 1 responded to this request by providing for the Supplemental Security Income Program, Title XVI of the Social Security Act as amended in 1972. This title provides for a federally supported income floor for all aged, blind and disabled persons at a much lower level than the recommended minimum. This law stipulates that States may supplement the minimum federal payments, and that the Federal Government may administer both the Federal and the State payments. The law further provides that the Federal Government will be responsible for all costs incurred by States that supplement the Federal payments at a level equal to a State's January 1972 payment schedule, if such costs exceed State expenditures for adult assistance in calendar 1972. The Supplemental Security Income Program thus affords States the opportunity to increase substantially the income of the older people in greatest need within their jurisdictions. It is recommended that State legislatures take prompt and firm actions to maintain their 1972 level of spending to support the incomes of the aged, blind, and disabled when the Supplemental Security Income Program goes into effect. State legislatures should assure that, in future budgets, no less than their 1972 expenditures will be allocated for assistance to the aged, blind, and disab led. This issue is of paramount importance, and should be a top priority item for every State Legislation. Many of the recommendations of the Conference were addressed to augmenting the incomes of the elderly and to suggesting means of alleviating some of the regressive financial drains on older people. It should be re-emphasized that improvements in tax programs are not an acceptable substitute for an adequate income floor for the elderly. However, until an adequate income floor is established by the Federal Government, State and local governing bodies are encouraged to undertake to increase the usable incone of elderly persons by developing programs of tax relief for older people through reduction of, or exemption from, real property tax, personal property tax, sales tax, state and local income tas. In the absence of an adequate income floor they should also move to investigate the possibility of reducing the cost to the elderly poor of such necessities as electricity, gas, water, telephone service, and public transportation. An important source of income for older and retired persons is private pensions and pensions of State and local governments. Conference recommendations called for governmental control and supervision of pension programs to assure that older workers receive their pension rights. Fending such public regulation, |