Herb Kohl: “I rise today to praise the passage of S. 118, the section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act. Earlier this…”

“I rise today to praise the passage of S. 118, the section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act. Earlier this Congress, Senator Schumer and I introduced S. 118 to modernize and improve section 202 housing for seniors across the country. This piece of legislation will help ensure that seniors have accessible, safe and affordable housing so they can live independently and with dignity, while also saving the government money by keeping people out of expensive nursing homes. HUD's senior housing program, also known as the section 202 program, provides capital grants to enable the development of supportive housing exclusively for the very low-income elderly population. Unfortunately, the 202 program has been unable to address the growing demand. For every available unit, there are ten seniors waiting to move in. Under the current law, the development and preservation of existing 202 communities can be time-consuming, bureaucratic and often require duplicative waivers and special permission from HUD to complete. Additionally, the program provides rental subsidies and grants to fund supportive services for seniors, such as in-home care and transportation. Over one-third of the section 202 population is considered disabled enough to be at risk for being put in a nursing home. By reducing the need for costly nursing home stays, access to these types of services saves both seniors and the government money.”