Very Low Income Home Repair Grants and Loans make a real difference in the quality of life for many elderly Americans. Some of the nation's most persistent economic, housing, and health problems are concentrated in rural areas among older people.
Economic problems are particularly severe among older minorities and among rural women living alone.
When these factors are combined, poverty is nearly universal. Especially hard hit are older minorities living in areas where poverty is highly concentrated. The Association urges special attention to the plight of older migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Working and living conditions, which are generally bad for farmworkers of all ages, are abysmal for older workers. Earnings for those over age 65 continue to be far below the poverty threshold, and many receive no Social Security or other benefits.