Aging in Place in Social Housing: A Scoping Review of Social Housing for Older Adults

Access to affordable housing is a rising concern, and social housing is one approach to support low-income, older renters. A scoping review was undertaken to understand the characteristics of older tenants and social housing services to identify strategies to promote aging in place. Seven peer review databases were searched to identify relevant articles. A total of 146 articles were included. Almost all examined socio-demographic and health characteristics of older tenants, while 72 per cent examined social housing services, including eligibility policies, staffing, and access to on-site services. This review points to a high vulnerability among older tenants and highlights the importance of co-locating services on-site with a tenant-facing support staff to identify vulnerable tenants and link them to services. More research on tenancy issues (e.g., unit condition, rental management) is needed to identify new opportunities for social housing landlords to help older tenants age in place.

Automated summary

This article is important for understanding the characteristics of social housing services and older tenants. Through a review of relevant literature, it was found that older tenants are highly vulnerable and that it is important to co-locate services and support staff to identify and connect them to services. It also points out the need for further research on tenancy issues to identify new opportunities for social housing landlords to help older tenants age in place.