Changing Communities, Changing Needs
 

As discussed in the ‘Guide,’ ADUs can help your community respond to changing population and demographic trends by providing a greater variety of housing to meet increasingly diverse housing needs. One example of these changes is the growing elderly population in this country. According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Report  (February 1996), the percentage of the population that is elderly (65 and older) is expected to rise rapidly after 2010 as the Baby Boom generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) reaches retirement age. By 2030 one in five Americans will be over age of 65 and one in eleven of those individuals over age of 85.

In addition to the aging of the American population, US households are also getting smaller. The Census Bureau noted in its publication America’s Families and Living Arrangements (March 2000) that between 1970 and 2000 the average number of people per household declined from 3.14 to 2.62 This trend is due to a combination of factors. There are more ‘empty-nester’ households (households whose children have grown up and moved out), more single person households, and fewer large families. For example, a growing proportion of households are becoming ‘empty-nester’ households. Households with only two people have increased from 28.9% of all US households in 1970 to 33.1% in 2000.

The number of single-person households has been increasing as well. The share of single-person households has grown from 17.1% in 1970 to 25.5% in 2000. Meanwhile, households with five or more persons have decreased by more than 50% since 1970. The proportion of households with children under age 18 has also declined as the proportion of women who have delayed childbirth or chosen to remain childless has risen. Increases in divorce have also contributed to smaller households.

ADUs offer a range of flexible housing options that can accommodate these evolving demographic patterns and population trends. For example, ADUs can provide greater housing options for the growing population of older people in this country in three ways:

1. Elderly homeowners who need additional income in order to stay in their current home can use an ADU to supplement their income by converting unused attic, basement, or garage space into a rental unit for a family member, college student, or other community member. In this way, ADUs can be invaluable in reducing the financial burden of rising maintenance costs and property taxes on elderly homeowners with fixed incomes.

2. ADUs allow elderly homeowners who want to ‘downsize’ to a smaller living space as they get older but who don’t want to leave the neighborhood that they may have lived in for decades to move into their own or another ADU in the same neighborhood.

3. Adult children with elderly parents can create an ADU at their own home in order to allow their parents to be close to their family while also maintaining their independence.

“[ADUs] have the potential to assist older homeowners in maintaining their independence. Other potential benefits include companionship, the opportunity to negotiate for home maintenance or personal services in return for reduced rents, and increased personal security.” -From Accessory Dwelling Units: A Model State Act and Local Ordinance (p7) published by the Public Policy Institute of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the American Planning Association  (APA) in April 2000. (You can read the full report or just the executive summary online, or jump to the ‘Dig a Little Deeper’ section to access a copy in PDF format that you can print out.)"

In addition to the benefits that ADUs provide for the growing elderly population, they also improve the housing choices of other households of a variety of types and ages. For example, ADUs increase housing opportunities for smaller households that do not require as much space as larger families. Many of these households may want to live in a particular neighborhood (for example, to be closer to jobs, better schools, vital services, or cultural amenities), but these neighborhoods may be characterized by larger single-family homes with few small houses or apartments for rent. In situations where smaller households want to relocate to a more desirable neighborhood but do not need or cannot afford a large house, renting an ADU in their preferred neighborhood presents a viable option.

“For owner-occupiers who live alone, for the widowed, retired, or infirm, or for young families with small children, the opportunity to exchange services with tenants next door offers substitutes for social supports that were provided by the extended family in earlier generations.”

--From Accessory Apartments in Single-Family Housing by Martin Gellen