UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING DISPLACEMENT IN A CHANGING CITY: A COALITION’S WORK TO PRESERVE SENIOR HOUSING IN DETROIT, MI

Abstract

When older adults are displaced due to one’s building converting to market rate housing from HUD section 8 housing, uncertainty, anxiety and, at times, misunderstanding of how processes of housing vouchers work emerges. Better understanding of the experiences of displacement will help policymakers and practitioners address the needs of older adults as they face residential transition. In addition, macro level responses are needed to raise the concerns of displacement. Since 2013, a coalition, Senior Housing Preservation-Detroit, was formed to address the preservation of low-income housing in Detroit, MI. This presentation will highlight the voices of those displaced from a longitudinal study (n=44), highlight the milestones reached thus far, and recent strategic planning processes to further the work of preservation and expansion of housing in a rapidly changing housing landscape. This presentation will conclude with recommendations for how coalitions can work with governmental entities based on lessons learned.