Philadelphia’s population age 65 and older grew 24% from 2014 to 2024 and now accounts for 15% of city residents, according to Pew. In four focus groups held last September, 26 residents age 65 and older from different backgrounds and neighborhoods spoke positively about transportation and local healthcare, while raising concerns about rising living costs and limited housing choices, Pew reported.
Housing costs press on renters and homeowners
Older renter households in Philadelphia increased 30% between 2013 and 2023, compared with 24% growth among older owner-occupied households. In 2023, 57% of older renter households were housing cost-burdened, versus 31% of older homeowners, Pew found. Homeownership remains common among older residents: 69% of households headed by someone age 65 or older were owner-occupied that year.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan sees affordability as a major constraint on older adults’ housing choices. She described renters struggling to find a comparable apartment as costs rise, and homeowners facing different pressures, including loans taken out to help family members or home values that have not risen enough to make moving practical. The Inquirer also reported her view that caregiving, healthcare, home-safety changes, and everyday expenses can affect decisions about whether to move or remain in a home.
Local programs offer some assistance
Philadelphia’s Senior Housing Assistance Repair Program helps homeowners age 60 and older make minor home repairs and modifications, the City of Philadelphia says. WHYY has reported that One Philly Front Door helps older residents search for housing assistance and other social services, and that Pennsylvania’s Shared Housing and Resource Exchange Program pairs older homeowners with older renters seeking affordable housing.
WHYY also reported that the Philadelphia Housing Authority announced a $100 million agreement to restore the Brith Sholom House apartment tower in Wynnefield Heights, with the aim of creating deeply affordable senior housing and hundreds of jobs.
AARP offers expertise to the city
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration is working toward a goal of building or preserving 30,000 homes. AARP has offered to provide research, community feedback on proposed policies, and examples of practices from elsewhere, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The organization represents more than 125 million Americans age 50 and older, the newspaper reported. AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan told the Inquirer that about one-quarter of Pennsylvanians are over 60, and that AARP expects the share to reach one-third by 2030.
AARP’s HomeFit program trains people to assess whether homes are safe for someone aging in place, the Inquirer reported. The newspaper also reported that AARP’s Philadelphia team worked with legislators and other groups on PhillySaves, a city program intended to help workers save for retirement.
AARP’s national research has found that three-quarters of adults age 50 and older want to remain in their current home and community for as long as possible. The Inquirer reported that AARP is offering to be a resource to the administration as Philadelphia pursues its housing goal; it did not describe AARP as having formally joined the city’s initiative.
