Geographic inequalities in the availability of government-subsidized rental housing for low-income older persons in Florida.

Abstract

This article investigates the extent to which government-subsidized affordable rental units available to low-income older persons are unequally and unfairly distributed throughout Florida's counties. Primary data sources from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census were analyzed using two location inequality statistical measures: quintile analysis and the Dissimilarity Index. Three comparison standards measuring the county locations of the community-wide low-income elderly and nonelderly populations were used to judge whether these patterns are geographically unfair. Compared with the overall locations of Florida's low-income older population, elder-occupied government-subsidized rental housing units are concentrated in fewer counties. On the basis of several standards, these affordable housing units are judged to be unfairly located, resulting in most of the state's low-income elderly population living in counties that are underserved by these accommodations. The findings offer other states and local areas guideposts to assess and compare the extent of geographic inequality and unfairness in the availability of their affordable senior housing opportunities. Why these inequalities exist and their implications for older persons are researchable questions.