Seniors in Southwest Montana are Facing Extreme Cost of Living Pressure

HRDC sees an increase in the number of customers ages 55 and older in need of supportive services.

A number of economic pressures are hitting the wallets of seniors living in and around Gallatin County. Rising rents, a significant deficit in affordable housing, inflation, high medical costs, and the recent cessation of the Montana Emergency Rental Program (MERA) are causing many people who are nearing retirement or who have already retired to seek help from HRDC.

“Can you imagine what you would do if your rent were to suddenly go up $500 per month — or more — while your primary source of income is a monthly Social Security check that is less than $1,500? Not only that, but when you start to look around for an alternative living situation, there is absolutely nothing available that you can afford. Panic quickly sets in, and despite having lived a self-sufficient life up until now, you find yourself on the brink of experiencing homelessness in your 60s, 70s, and 80s?” asked Margaret Mason, Associate Director and Senior Programs Manager at HRDC.

Mason continued, “Most of our senior customers live on fixed incomes that no longer stack up to our area’s high cost of living. During 2022, we provided a full range of supportive services to 2,246 individuals, an all-time high.”

One of the most staggering statistics reported by HRDC is the number of seniors who accessed the agency’s emergency shelters last year. The Bozeman and Livingston Warming Centers provided support to 175 seniors who were experiencing homelessness in 2022, a significant increase over past years.

Kristin Hamburg, HRDC’s Development Director, expressed concern about the untenable situation seniors have been confronted with when it comes to housing. “Many area seniors have lived in and around Gallatin Valley for decades. They’ve worked hard to raise families, build a strong community, and make sacrifices for others. Now in their golden years, they find themselves at an unexpected crossroads. How do they remain living independently in their homes when their income hasn’t kept pace with the relatively recent affluence that surrounds them? Bozeman, Montana — a city that was recently dubbed “One of the World’s Greatest Places” by Time Magazine — doesn’t exactly feel like one of the world’s greatest places to the many seniors who are truly struggling to make ends meet.”

Striving to combat this challenging set of circumstance is HRDC’s Senior Programs team. They guide customers in how to best stretch household incomes to maintain independent living. On average it costs approximately $2,900 a month for a senior to live independently with support from HRDC’s Senior Programs as compared to an average cost of $6,300 per month for someone to live in a nursing home.

HRDC’s commitment to helping seniors live independently as long as safely possible includes providing housing navigation services, financial counseling, monthly grocery boxes, public transportation options, Medicare counselling, in-home help, behavioral health support, social activities, and connections to a myriad of other community resources.

Hamburg has teamed up with Mason to help shine a light on the plight of seniors who are living in or near poverty in Bozeman and beyond. A 45-day focus on the agency’s senior programs kicked off in the middle of March and includes a variety of community education and outreach efforts. A sold-out bingo fundraising event is taking place at The Armory Hotel tonight, March 30th which will be followed by a number of other fundraising activities.

“A $22 donation to HRDC’s Senior Programs will help our agency continue to provide our full range of services to one senior in need through the remainder of our fiscal year. While we are focused on raising a total of $50,000 in the coming months to meet our budgeting needs, we want to ensure that everyone in our community understands the impact they can make on someone’s life when they donate the equivalent of a couple of lunches out,” said Hamburg.

HRDC is a private, not-for-profit Community Action Organization focused on building a better community through its nearly 50 initiatives aimed at combatting poverty in southwestern Montana. Donors, volunteers, and community members can learn more at https://thehrdc.org/