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Support and resources to help federally assisted affordable housing staff connect older adults to mental health services is “greatly needed and enthusiastically welcomed,” according to LeadingAge.

During his March 1 State of the Union address, President Biden announced a strategy to address the national mental health crisis. That strategy includes training Department of Housing and Urban Development service coordinators, housing counselors and other staff to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and addiction in residents.

LeadingAge Vice President of Housing Policy Linda Couch told McKnight’s Senior Living that resident mental health issues are a major concern of the organization’s affordable housing provider members. In a quarterly member survey from December, providers cited resident mental health issues as one of the top operational challenges, ahead of staffing, funding, inspections, compliance, vaccine mandates, fair housing issues and disaster preparedness. 

“We expect that our members will jump at any opportunity to participate in this innovative initiative,” Couch said.

During a HUD stakeholder call last week, LeadingAge said that White House senior advisers said that training service coordinators would leverage existing evidence-based mental health programming built around assessing, listening, reassuring and encouraging self-help or professional assistance. HUD is planning to cover training costs.

LeadingAge noted that the senior administration acknowledged shortfalls of the plan, including the fact that about half of HUD-assisted housing lacks a service coordinator position. In those cases, training will be offered to other staff members, including property managers and other frontline positions.

The importance of service coordinators in Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly affordable housing communities “cannot be understated,” Couch said.

“They provide a range of important services to older adults, from ensuring referrals to critical services like Meals on Wheels or Americans with Disabilities transportation, to assisting with the Medicaid process or helping to schedule appointments, and generally helping ensure resident access to community-based services and supports,” she said. “Mental health training for service coordinators and other community staff will be invaluable.”

One of LeadingAge’s 2021 policy priorities, which extends into 2022, is funding to expand the number of service coordinators in affordable senior housing. 

LeadingAge sent a letter last month to President Biden asking for a $2,000 one-time relief payment to the nation’s 4.6 million direct care workers and 3,100 affordable housing service coordinators. The association also asked Congress to authorize and fund a permanent program to raise hourly wages for these workers by $5.

The Housing for All Act of 2022 at the federal level would invest $2.5 billion into Section 202 programs, including adding new service coordinators in affordable senior housing.

Mental health crisis in older adults

Meanwhile, a new report from eHealth finds that the stigma around mental health for older adults is decreasing, with more adults 65 and older willing to seek out mental healthcare.

The report, based on a survey of more than 3,800 older adults, found a 25% increase in those willing to seek out mental health services from 2012 to 2022. Most respondents also noted that they were not embarrassed to discuss their mental health, and more than half indicated that they had received therapy.

The pandemic was cited as a likely catalyst for moving the needle. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that COVID-19 made them feel isolated or lonely, and one-third said that COVID-19-related stress negatively affected their mental health.