Supporting Petaluma’s low-income elderly

Dorothy Gale summed it up well, “There’s no place like home.” But for many seniors, affording a place to call home is a struggle that leaves them choosing between paying rent or buying groceries.

“You set your money aside for retirement, but what if you out live what you have and living costs escalate and drain all your resources much quicker?” said Mary Stompe, executive director of PEP Housing, an organization providing low-income housing to senior citizens. “People try to plan, but things happen.”

A 2013 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 20 percent of adults over age 65 live below the poverty level with an income of $16,000 annually. Medical bills, death of a spouse, divorce, low wage jobs and no family to offer assistance are some of the many factors that contribute to seniors finding themselves in the precarious predicament of not being able to afford a place to call home - and eventually ending up homeless.

Petaluma Ecumencial Properties was founded in 1978 by a group of volunteers who wanted to help solve the affordable housing problem for aging residents. Now known as PEP Housing, the organization developed and manages 16 affordable housing properties with 431 apartments housing 450 very low-income seniors. The need for more housing keeping growing, and Stompe said that the wait list for a PEP Housing apartment is 2 1/2 years or longer depending on the property.

“Our waiting list keeps growing,” she said. “The Baby Boomers are becoming senior citizens now, demand for affordable housing is increasing, but funding for housing for seniors is going in the opposite direction. It’s very unfortunate. I think the biggest loss to senior housing was Congress not funding the HUD Section 202 program for construction.”

The HUD Section 202 Capital Advance Program provided interest-free advance funding for construction, rehabilitation or acquisition of properties for creating affordable housing for very low-income seniors. The program was discontinued in 1991. Stompe said that the Kellgren Senior Apartments on North McDowell Boulevard, which opened last year, and the Orange Tree Senior Apartments in Oroville are the last two projects to open with funding from the program.

“The great thing about those types of projects is that the residents pay 30 percent of their income or what they can afford,” said Stompe. “So if you make $100 a month, you pay what you can afford or 30 percent. For many seniors, their only source of income is Social Security, and as we know, a one-bedroom apartment is $1,100 to $1,500 now. When you’re Social Security is only $850, it just doesn’t work.”

Fundraising is one of the main ways PEP Housing is able to continue keeping its apartment rates low and plan for future projects to meet the growing demand.

PEP’s annual benefit gala, “Home on the Range” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 2 at Tomrose Ranch in Santa Rosa. The family-friendly event is western-themed and features country-style cooking, wine, beer, country music, hay rides, face painting, games, a silent auction and raffle. Guests are encouraged to come dressed in western attire.

Tickets are $25 adults, $20 children under age 15.

For more information on PEP Housing and to purchase tickets, call 762-2336 or visit pephousing.org.

(Contact Yovanna Bieberich at yovanna.bieberich@arguscourier.com)