By Geralyn Magan
The LTSS Center will identify promising practices in the area of affordable housing that have been implemented by selected states.
The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston will be helping AARP develop part of its Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Scorecard, which will be released in July 2020. Ruth Katz, senior vice president of public policy/advocacy at LeadingAge, is serving on the Scorecard National Advisory Panel.
The LTSS Scorecard is a compilation of data and analysis showcasing measures of state performance in creating a high-quality LTSS system for older adults and people with physical disabilities, and their family caregivers.
Published every 2 years, the scorecard measures LTSS system performance using 25 indicators across 5 dimensions:
- Affordability and Access.
- Choice of Setting and Provider.
- Quality of Life and Quality of Care.
- Support for Family Caregivers.
- Effective Transitions.
A “Subsidized Housing Opportunities” measure was added to the LTSS Scorecard in 2017. This measure captures the total amount of subsidized housing opportunities—including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, HOME funds, Housing Choice Vouchers, and loans and subsidies—divided by the total number of housing units in a state.
“Since 2011, more than half of the states (28) significantly increased the percentage of housing units that can potentially be subsidized,” wrote the authors of the 2017 scorecard report. “Despite the significant increase in 28 states, there is still an affordable housing crisis in our country.”
PROMISING PRACTICES IN HOUSING
The LTSS Center will be involved in creating a “Promising Practices” report that highlights learnings from states that were identified by AARP metrics as the 5 best-performing states in the area of affordable housing and the 5 states that showed the most significant change in providing subsidized housing opportunities for targeted groups since the 2017 LTSS Scorecard was published. The LTSS Center will also identify promising practices in other states that enhance affordable housing opportunities for target groups.
Researchers will identify promising housing practices in the top-performing and most-improved states by interviewing representatives of national housing groups and LeadingAge state affiliates, and conducting a literature review. They will then conduct interviews within top-performing and most-improved states to gather details about specific practices. Interviews may take place with staff at state housing, housing finance, aging, and Medicaid agencies. The final Promising Practices report will synthesize data across states and identify themes.
“We’ll be looking for information about the state’s priorities and practices around affordable housing development, affordable housing for older adults, and the extent to which affordable housing is included in planning or implementation of LTSS or other aging-related programs or initiatives,” says Alisha Sanders, director of housing and services policy research at the LTSS Center, who is leading the project