Use of federally assisted rental housing among older immigrant renters in the U.S

Background: Immigration is at an all-time high, and it is projected that the older immigrant population will increase from 16 to 81 million between 2005 and 2050. Older foreign born persons have a lower economic profile compared to non-immigrant elders, and are thus at higher risk of having unmet housing needs. Federally subsidized rental assistance addresses these unmet housing needs by increasing access to quality housing. However, little is known about the use of rental subsidies among older immigrants. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of federal rental assistance among older immigrants in the U.S.

Methods: The use of federally subsidized rental assistance among older renters aged 62 and older was explored using data from the 2009 American Housing Survey (N=2431). Logistic regression was used to explore the association between receiving rental assistance and immigrant status.

Results: The mean age was 73.0(SD 9.7) years, 73.7% were female, 70.1% were White, and 12% had at least one disability. Thirty-three percent of all renters aged 62 and older reported using rental assistance. Among older immigrants, 21.8% used rental assistance. After controlling for demographic factors and income, assisted renters were more likely(OR=1.66;p<.05) to be immigrants compared non-assisted older renters.

Implications: This study finds that older immigrants are more likely to rely on rental assistance compared to their non-immigrant counterparts. This suggests there are opportunities to provide targeted assisted housing for older immigrant populations. Housing providers should include culturally sensitive services within assisted housing supportive services programs for older renters.