How VOA Southeast Manages Decent, Safe, and Healthy Affordable Housing for Seniors in Need
Once a month, 76-year-old Gail Austin shares a potluck dinner with her friends at Wiggins Senior Apartments, an affordable housing community for people aged 62 and up in Wiggins, Mississippi.
Originally from North Carolina, Gail lived most of her life in Louisiana and Mississippi, where she and her husband raised three children, two girls and a boy. Gail and her husband were dairy farmers until he passed away 23 years ago.
After her husband’s passing, Gail worked as a receptionist and ran an office cleaning service. She retired seven years ago at the age of 69.
When Gail first retired she moved into a senior housing facility in Kenner, LA, but found it was riddled with problems.
“It was a seven-story facility and the elevator was out half the time,” she said. “I can’t walk 4 flights of stairs!”
The apartments had smaller than full-size refrigerators and other appliances. The burners on her stove were crooked. With over 280 units, the residence felt impersonal, and the owners rarely took the time to respond appropriately when something broke.
“Plus they had roaches and bed bugs up the ying yang,” she said. “People would have to throw everything away in their apartment!”
It got even worse after Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana in 2021. Finally fed up, Gail started looking for a new place to live.
That was when she found Wiggins Senior Apartments, a 19-unit apartment building for seniors 62 years and older built and managed by VOA Southeast.
“They’re nice little apartments,” she said. “I like that they’re single-story. You have your own little front porch, and you can sit out there in your rocking chair. Plus it’s small. There’s only 19 residents, so you don’t have a lot of drama!”
One of the persistent problems with her old housing was a lack of care about updates and maintenance. The contrast at Wiggins Senior Apartments couldn’t be more stark.
“If something breaks, [the property manager] fixes it,” she said. “They don’t just band-aid it.”
At VOA Southeast, we recognize that affordable housing doesn’t mean much if it isn’t someplace you’d actually want to live. We’re dedicated to making sure every residence we manage promotes the safety, health, and wellbeing of the people who live there. That means up-to-date amenities, timely and responsible management, and access to facilities and services that foster a sense of community.
“With these VOA [Southeast apartments] you have a walk-in pantry, which I love. You have a little closet and a kitchen. And we have a community room, so when my family comes down and we all get together, I cook and I just tell Anne Marie [the property manager] and she reserves [the community room] for me for that night.” Just a few months ago she had 15 people over one night for gumbo with chicken and sausage.
VOA Southeast’s commitment to affordable housing for seniors
VOA Southeast’s affordable housing residences are deliberately designed around public spaces where people can gather together. From community rooms to walking trails, weight rooms, and computer labs, these spaces allow residents to meet and get to know each other.
Shared spaces also let community organizations come in to make sure residents engage with the broader community surrounding the development. Outside organizations regularly help seniors with everything from nutrition, to physical health, to financial literacy.
“We really design them to help keep our seniors engaged both physically and mentally with everyone around them and with the community at large,” says Sherry Atchison, VOA Southeast’s Director of Project Development. “When we build out, it’s not just physical amenities, it’s also the services we can bring in from outside the community or that we’re paying to bring in.”
Preserving Affordability
VOA Southeast owns, manages, or operates over 200 affordable housing communities. That’s 2,781 units across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. More than one-third of these housing units are set aside for seniors.
Residents of these designated communities need to meet age and income requirements. In the case of Wiggins Senior Apartments, residents must be 62 or older and make less than 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In Stone County, that’s less than $23,350 per year for a one-person household. (AMI varies by county and by number of people in a household – so while it’s $23,350 or less in Stone County, in nearby St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, it’s 39,327.)
One ongoing study shows that there is currently no housing market in the entire United States where a person living solely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can afford a safe, decent apartment without rental assistance.
The nationwide average rent for a one bedroom apartment is currently $1,399, over $400 more than what nearly 4 million disabled Americans receive per month in SSI. In the least expensive counties in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, the average cost of an efficiency apartment is still over 65% of SSI.
“If it takes more than 30% of your income to live somewhere, that’s not affordable,” said Atchison. “What we continue to see are people [with moderate incomes] who in the past were able to maintain housing with the help of friends or with Covid subsidies. But we’re seeing an influx of people who are unhoused. And it’s the people with moderate incomes who are teetering on the edge.”
Donate to VOA Southeast to help seniors live in safety and dignity
Everyone deserves a place to call home. At VOA Southeast, we’re committed to ensuring that people from all walks of life can access safe, affordable housing.
Our programs touched the lives of over 54,000 people last year: from seniors and veterans in need, to people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges, to people living with life-altering physical and developmental disabilities. VOA Southeast’s services help people find the stability and security they need to not just recover but flourish.
Make a one time donation or consider giving to us monthly to sustain our work. Every dollar makes a difference!