RD163 - Annual Progress Report of the Department of Housing and Community Development on the Effect of the Aging Population on State Agencies


Executive Summary:
Chapter 54 of the 2006 Acts of the General Assembly amended § 2.2-5510 of the Code of Virginia to require each state agency to include within its strategic plan items relating to the aging of Virginia's population. The bill also directed each agency to report annually by October 1 on its progress in addressing the impact of the aging of the population.

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is submitting a report in accordance with the statutory requirement and guidance provided by the Secretary of Health and Human Resources. The report notes that DHCD does not design its programs specifically serve seniors aged 65 and older. Nonetheless, DHCD, using federal and state funding sources, administers a number of programs whose beneficiaries include senior citizens. The report identifies several functional areas where older Virginians comprise a substantial portion of the population receiving services or other benefits. The report also describe several specific housing and community development programs that provide these services, including various weatherization, home repair or rehabilitation, and affordable housing efforts. The report identifies a key consumer-oriented document, the Landlord and Tenant Handbook, among its publications. Finally, the report presents a brief account of ongoing administrative or program activities in the realms of building regulation, housing, and community development that are intended to address changes associated with an aging population.