Housing Problems and Mobility Plans Among the Elderly

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Abstract
This paper seeks to determine the ways in which the residential mobility process among the elderly is different from that of the non-elderly. A mobility model consisting of three sets of variables is presented and tested: (1) background characteristics (related to the individual, dwelling unit, and neighborhood) and housing and neighborhood problems, (2) housing and neighborhood satisfaction, and (3) intra-metropolitan moving plans. Regression analysis is utilized to explain variations in the likelihood of formulating intra-metropolitan moving plans among a sample of elderly residents of Cincinnati, Ohio. Residential problems (i.e., rising costs, physical deterioration, and crime) and failing health are shown to be important determinants of moving plans. Several background characteristics contribute to plans to remain, as does participation in governmental housing programs for the elderly. These results imply that an expansion in these programs could enable many elderly to remain in their homes who otherwise would have to move.