Houston Making Changes to Protect its Seniors

Houston is actively working to revise its funding strategy for independent senior living facilities to incentivize developers and landlords to enhance their disaster preparedness and planning. This initiative, as highlighted by the city’s housing director, aims to ensure that these facilities are better equipped to handle emergencies and protect their residents during crises.

Unlike nursing homes and assisted living facilities, which provide higher levels of care and are subject to state certification and licensing requirements, independent living facilities operate with less formal oversight. This lack of certification means that independent living facilities do not face the same scrutiny, which can result in varying standards for safety and preparedness across different locations.

“For unregulated senior living communities that are largely unregulated but do get federal dollars, there needs to be some mechanism that says in order for you to receive these funds, you have to have a plan for those seniors and disabled tenants, so they’re not going it alone post-disaster,”

The key to successfully mitigating any emergency is preparedness. CHUG members have access to a comprehensive suite of educational workshops that utilize real-life case studies to teach effective responses to emergency situations. This training can be lifesaving.

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