When Senior Living Isn't Affordable: Santa Monica's Housing Challenge

At Senior Locating, we typically help seniors and families navigate assisted living, memory care, independent living, senior apartments, and other senior living options throughout Southern California.

Most families are trying to answer a familiar question: where is the right place for Mom or Dad to live? Increasingly, though, a harder question comes first: what happens when an older adult needs housing, but traditional senior living is not financially possible?

The gap between senior living and homelessness

Assisted living and memory care can provide housing, care, meals, activities, and support. They can also cost thousands of dollars each month. For an older adult with limited income, limited savings, or no family able to help financially, those options may be out of reach.

An older adult may no longer be able to safely live independently, yet not qualify for or be able to afford the senior living community a family would traditionally consider. In some cases, that can contribute to housing instability or homelessness.

Santa Monica continues to invest in housing-focused responses. In its2025 Point-in-Time Count, the city reported 202 people in shelter and 475 people living unsheltered. The count also included people in vehicles and other improvised dwellings, bringing the total identified to 812 people.

A new focus on housing for older adults

That makes affordable-housing developments for older adults especially important. Santa Monica already has housing specifically intended for seniors. For example, Greenway Meadowsprovides 38 one-bedroom apartments for low- and moderate-income residents age 62 and older, with listed rents ranging from $538 to $1,214.

The city's affordable-housing resources include other properties and programs intended to help lower-income residents find stable housing. These developments serve a very different purpose from assisted living or memory care, and that distinction matters.

Affordable senior housing is not the same as assisted living

When families hear “senior housing,” they sometimes assume every option provides some level of care. It does not.

• Affordable senior housing generally provides a place to live at a reduced cost for eligible residents.
• Independent living generally provides housing and community amenities for older adults who can live independently.
• Assisted living adds support with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, medication management, meals, and other services, depending on the community.
• Memory care is designed for people living with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other cognitive impairments and generally provides more supervision and specialized programming.
• Permanent supportive housing combines affordable housing with supportive services and is often designed for people who have experienced chronic homelessness or have significant support needs.

These are not interchangeable solutions. The right option depends on a senior's health, income, level of independence, eligibility, and available support system. Our guide to senior living options can help families understand the care distinctions.

When affordable housing does not provide enough support

An older adult might qualify for an affordable apartment but need help with medications, bathing, meals, transportation, or other daily activities. At the same time, an assisted living community may provide exactly those services but cost far more than the individual can afford.

This is where families can find themselves navigating a complicated system with few obvious answers, often during a crisis. A hospital discharge, loss of a caregiver, eviction, declining health, or a sudden change in mobility can turn a housing concern into an immediate placement concern.

The need for more than a list of communities

Senior living guidance should be about more than a list of facilities. Senior Locating helps families compare private senior living options, coordinate tours, and determine which type of community may fit their situation. But not every family needs assisted living.

Sometimes independent living is the appropriate solution. Sometimes it is memory care. Sometimes a residential care home is a better fit. And sometimes a family's financial circumstances mean they need to explore affordable housing or public resources rather than private-pay senior living. Senior Locating does not provide affordable-housing placement or public-housing assistance.

A conversation worth having

Santa Monica's investment in affordable housing and homelessness response is a reminder that senior housing is bigger than assisted living. As the population ages, communities need a range of options, from affordable senior apartments to supportive housing to assisted living and memory care.

Older adults deserve housing options that reflect their health, independence, financial circumstances, and personal preferences. For families, the challenge is often knowing where to begin. Good information and the right guidance can make that next step clearer.