By Mari Wadsworth
THERE'S A HAND-PRINTED index card on the door that says, "Knock loud and be patient." Nora Alvaredo negotiates the entry way with her walker, inviting us to find a comfortable spot among the afghans and knick-knacks. Light filters through a sliding glass door that looks out onto a grassy courtyard shaded by desert pine. She settles comfortably into her LazyBoy chair, surrounded by needle-work projects in various stages of completion, a stack of novels and other creature comforts. She seems at peace and, more importantly, at home.
Alvaredo is one of the Hope for the Elderly Program's most recent success stories. The program, Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, is a federally funded, five-year pilot program co-opted by the City of Tucson, Pima County, Pima Health Systems and the Pima Council on Aging.
The HOPE program is ideal for clients over age 62 with permanent debilitating conditions who want to remain on their own. Catholic Social Services (CSS), which administers the Hope for the Elderly program, picks up where Medicare leaves off.
Whereas hospital-discharge planners can only provide services for Medicare patients for an average of 60 days, CSS is a support network focusing on the long run.
"We don't just place people. We like the clients to be able to go out and see where they'll be living the rest of their lives, and have some input. We want to try to match people to places," says Kathy Aros, service coordinator for the Hope for the Elderly program.
Aros and Margie Baker, of Catholic Social Services, effectively neutralize bureaucratic nightmares by walking prospective clients through every step of the process, from assessing eligibility to actually filling out and filing the necessary paperwork. Their hands-on approach makes the application process accessible and understandable to a population that otherwise has not been able to take advantage of subsidized housing opportunities created for low-income individuals.
Section 8 of the Cranston-Gonzales National Boarding and Housing Act of 1990 created Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE), a federal program open to all income-eligible individuals. Unfortunately, today it has a three-year waiting list of well over 1,000 in Tucson alone. The Hope for the Elderly program was launched in January 1994, for older adults who weren't using the broad-based HOPE program because of the waiting list and lack of access.
Aros describes her role as connecting frail elderly with Section 8, bypassing the waiting list, helping them with the application, providing them with transportation and helping them to find appropriate housing subsidized by rental vouchers.
Alvaredo was in the hospital recovering from a broken hip when a friend at Jewish Family and Children's Services introduced her to Aros and the HOPE program. Alvaredo found out she qualified for HOPE, which helped her physically and financially with the move.
"It's a wonderful idea," beams Alvaredo. "It has tremendous advantages to senior citizens. I definitely feel more secure. What would you do if you didn't have anybody? Now I'm on my own, it's a terrible feeling. My therapist will quit coming as soon as I can walk on my cane, and then I won't have anybody around. With HOPE, I can call up and ask Kathy if I can get somebody to help me with my cleaning, or do laundry, same as with my shopping...I had to have some medicine the other day, and someone picked it up for me as I have no transportation." She motions to her walker, adding, "Because I sure can't get on the bus like this."
The program's commitment to provide in-home services, such as meal preparation, laundry, housekeeping and personal assistance, is central to maintaining the independence of older adults for as long as possible.
Participation in HOPE is open to seniors age 62 and older, who are not already receiving federal, state or local housing subsidies. Income eligibility is $12,500 annually ($1,042 gross monthly income), not precluding people with stocks or savings, "which is generous for the population we're looking at," adds Baker.
When they looked at their clients' income, it was all going to rent. The average income was $600 a month, according to project studies, which also estimated rent at $350 to $450 a month. Most people referred to the program are living in apartments that are way too expensive for them, and they have only an average of $150 left to pay for food, utilities and medical costs, which isn't enough.
"These people are unable to afford to even live," Baker laments. "With this project, we're able to increase their discretionary income."
Alvaredo is living proof of the program's success. Wearing a fuscia dress and pink lipstick, she speaks slowly and carefully. She laughs through bright brown eyes, her voice shaky but clear.
"I feel very fortunate, and I think anyone else who gets involved with the program should. Maybe they're in the same position I'm in--never had to depend on anybody before. As old as I am, I've always been very independent. I've never been involved before with any organization. So to me, this is very different, and very helpful.
"There's a small fee for the services (cleaning, shopping, etc.), so I don't feel bad. It's not like charity. I feel like I'm contributing something." And indeed, that's what HOPE is: a service. Aros and staff refer to the participants as "clients," not cases. It's a professional operation with a strong personal feel.
Says Baker, "We need to alert people 62 and older that we have a program, and we're looking desperately for owners of housing complexes, duplexes, guest houses, etc., that are willing to work with Section 8 standards." That is, ground floor, no steps, wide doorways, to name a few. "Handicapped accessibility is hard to come by. And we need more volunteers."
Aros adds, "We need to make sure programs like this survive and continue to be funded, because they work to keep people in their homes with their own money.
"We're laying the ground work for ourselves," laugh the two boomers.
"The elderly population will increase, and we need to make sure we have services in place." Especially in Tucson, where the congenial climate attracts so many people in their golden years.
"We haven't come out and gone public," Aros continues. "We wanted to get our feet wet, and get the bugs out. But now we're rolling. We have 19 in place, and we have slots for 50."
For more information on how to get involved with the Hope for Elderly Program, call Catholic Social Services at 623-0344.
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