Lehigh Valley Housing Options

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> Universal Design Features in New & Older Housing Stock

An assessment completed in 2001 definitively concluded that older adults prefer to be able to stay at home with supportive services as long as possible. Unfortunately, the existing housing stock is old, an average of 60 years, requiring modification to allow older adults to remain at home as long as desired. Further, according to the Brookings Institution's 2003 report, "Back to Prosperity: A Competitive Agenda for Renewing Pennsylvania," between 1990 and 2000, PA built nearly two units (1.94) of housing for every net new household, the third highest "overproduction" of housing among states, with the Lehigh Valley building at a rate of 1.46.

Unfortunately, new housing is not universally designed to keep up with the aging population. Consumers are unaware of universal design elements and modifications, and thus do not drive the demand for such in the building industry. Universal design elements include such things as wider doorways, showers with no lip, and lever handles on doors.

Until consumers start to demand universal design standards in new housing stock, these standards will not be incorporated, and aging adults or young children and adults with disabilities will not be able to live in these newly constructed homes.

These are just some of the issues being studied by the housing options committee of the Alliance. The committee is presently creating a plan to address these important issues.

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