50+ Housing Council Local and Regional Report

New BIA of Washington State Council to Focus on Affordable Housing for Seniors

The Building Industry Association of Washington is forming a statewide council to meet the affordable housing needs of the state’s senior population. With Americans living longer and more people over the age of 65 requiring some form of assistance with daily living, the BIAW opted to form an organization to help builders, developers, remodelers, and other housing professionals involved in assisted living and other types of seniors housing.

The BIAW Seniors Housing Council will advocate sound public policies to encourage and preserve a free market for affordable seniors housing in Washington. At the same time, the council will promote concepts like aging in place among its members. The new council will serve as a voice for BIAW members involved in all aspects of seniors housing, ensuring that members are served by:

• An aggressive public policy agenda
• A widely recognized political program
• A dedicated team of legal experts
• A strong, effective grassroots program
• Access to high quality professional enrichment and continuing education

“As any assisted living provider will tell you, the regulatory climate in the state of Washington isn’t conducive to the growth of seniors housing,” said Daimon Doyle, chairman of the BIAW 50+ Housing Council. “The new council will seek to remove the many barriers to affordable seniors housing and allow BIAW members to serve the needs of older consumers.”

Read more about the BIAW Seniors Housing Council. To join or for more information, contact Amy Brackenbury at 800-228-4229 or e-mail amyb@biaw.com. For more information on forming a 50+ Housing Council at your HBA, contact Jeff Jenkins at 800-368-5242 x8292 or jjenkins@nahb.com.

The 50+ New England Housing Council is looking ahead to two terrific fall events, building on achievements from the first part of the year.

New England started the year with a new look, a new organizational structure, and a new slate of programs. To better serve those interested in active adult housing across the region, the Council recruited four “state” membership chairs: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Northern New England. 

A series of quarterly breakfast events offers networking opportunities and a chance to learn about different state-specific issues. After standing-room-only breakfasts in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the Breakfast Series comes to Rhode Island on Tuesday, Sept. 27. 

A panel of local developers will offer insights into age-qualified communities, the rental market and age-targeted housing. Attendees will learn about 50+ housing segmentation in New England, with examples from Rhode Island and Southeastern Mass.  And, they’ll get a behind-the-scenes tour of the host site, The Villages at Mount Hope Bay in Tiverton, R.I.

All the programs are building to the Council’s premier event, the 2005 Northeast Fall Symposium. “Your Best Bet For Success” will be held November 9-10 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

For more information on the 50+ New England Housing Council, e-mail Catie Ruggiero at catie@bagb.org or call her at 617-773-1300.

The Maryland/National Capital Builders Industry Association’s Seniors Housing Council held its Boomers Breakfast Program, “How to Get Started: The 10 Most Common Sins When Targeting the Active Adult Market,” Sept. 15 at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel.

Featured speakers were Evelyn Howard of Howard & Associates Market Research, who gave a regional overview of supply and demand, and Timothy McCarthy of Traditions of America, who discussed common mistakes made by adult builders and developers who serve the active adult market.

For more information about upcoming activities,contact Kathy Rockinberg at 301-445-5406 or krockinberg@mncbia.org. [ return to top ]