In addition to its devastating effects on health and mortality, the COVID-19 pandemic produced a complex and interconnected set of social challenges across the US. Older adults living in the community faced social isolation and disruptions in access to food, medical care, and other goods and services during stay-at-home orders. In response, organizations that support older people—housing and service providers, community organizations, government agencies, and others—improvised solutions to address these challenges.

Our new report, a collaborative project with The Hastings Center, reflects on these responses, most of which were intended to be temporary, and sheds light on how we might improve housing and supports for older adults, and address longstanding inequities in the process.