Chatting with the Senior Citizens

A discussion with fellow senior citizen, Bernard, ensued at the fast food joint in town this morning. Specifically, the topic was senior citizen housing. Bernard resides in a nice senior citizen housing project in Mano'a. He ended up there by happenstance, although years had gone by (subsequent to making application) before he was notified of an opening. He pays $670 per month for a studio rental. What was of particular interest was the confusion surrounding the management of the facility. Vacancies often go unfilled for five months even though the wait list period stretches into years.

Another discussion with fellow senior citizen, Chip, occurred at the gym. The topic was housing and Medicare. Chip has been describing the mess that is Medicare. Most senior citizens have little knowledge of its labyrinth structure. Chip was finally able to discern that $121 is deducted from his Social Security retirement benefits each month for Medicare. That was later verified and specifically for "Part B." The on-going senior citizen housing conundrum was also discussed. The leasehold versus fee simple (or Waikiki versus Makaha) question was also broached with no conclusion drawn.

A few of the senior citizen housing projects have information available on the Net. From what can be ascertained, there are tiers of rental rates with an apartment quota ties to each. Income requirement is two times the tiered rent. Needless to say, many people cannot qualify for a senior citizen rental unit even at the lowest tier. That's why there are so many homeless senior citizens.

During subsequent research, a bit of encouraging information was discovered. Senior citizens over age 65 years are able to apply for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) benefits. That's the same program normally called "disability" benefits for people under 65 years of age. Low income and low resources are the requirements for senior citizens (with some exclusions). In other words, it's time start hiding assets.