The Senior Stability Alliance branch of the Healthy Valley Foundation hosted a virtual forum on Aug. 18 to discuss available housing resources in the San Jacinto Valley. The purpose of the nonprofit’s initiative is to expand, protect, and preserve housing for local seniors. With 28% of Hemet residents age 65+ and 34% age 55-64, it is a real concern for the valley that should not be overlooked. By 2030, more than 25% of Californians will be aged 60 or older.
A panel of invested community leaders were on hand to highlight existing housing resources organized into three strategies: preserving includes home repairs, accessibility improvements, and aging in place opportunities; protecting involves tenant and homeowner education, tenant rights resources, legal support, and strategies to prevent displacement; and expanding covers affordable housing, attainable options, shared housing innovations, and co-living models.
“Thank you to the 24 partners, residents, housing advocates, nonprofit leaders, and city and county representatives who joined our quarterly Senior Stability Alliance conversation focused on housing for older adults in the San Jacinto Valley,” Health Valley Foundation President and CEO Jennifer O’Farrell said. “We are especially grateful to our elected leaders and representatives for continuing to champion older adults, including Congressman Raul Ruiz, Senator Sabrina Cervantes, Assembly Member Dr. Corey Jackson, City of Hemet Mayor Linda Krupa, and City of Hemet Council Member Jackie Peterson.”
Panelists providing a fast-paced overview to the housing services and strategies already available in the valley were Habitat for Humanity, Inland Valley CEO Tammy Marine (https://habitativ.org); Inland County Legal Services Managing Attorney Rich Merritt (https://www.inlandlegal.org); City Net Community Engagement and Partnerships representative Robin Gilliland (www.citynet.org/riverside-county); Neighborhood Housing Service of the Inland Empire CEO and Executive Director Kailin Scott Peoples (https://nhsie.org); and City of Hemet Community Solutions Coordinator Kristian Ticas (www.hemetca.gov/m/directory/department?did=208).
“While each organization could have filled an entire meeting, what they shared provided us with a better understanding of how we can connect seniors to existing resources—and where gaps remain,” O’Farrell said.
She said Riverside County’s 2025 Point-in-Time data shared with the Alliance reflects a significant increase in older adults experiencing homelessness. Family disruption, lack of income, and unemployment were identified as leading pathways into homelessness.
“The discussion also reinforced why we need solutions beyond traditional housing development,” O’Farrell said. “Shared housing and co-living, for example, are increasingly being explored as options that can help older adults remain in their communities, reduce housing costs, and increase social connection. Research also points to potential benefits including aging in place, reduced housing costs, increased engagement, and reduced social isolation.”
The Senior Stability Alliance is a grassroots collective impact initiative launched by the Healthy Valley Foundation to address the growing crisis of economic insecurity and unstable housing among older adults in the San Jacinto Valley. In 2024, a cross-sector “Senior Think Tank” brought together housing providers, public agencies, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, behavioral health professionals, and policymakers that were aligned around a shared mission: ensuring older adults can age in place with dignity, stability, and access to care.
A report released in July 2025 outlined the Alliance’s findings, themes, and policy recommendations, grounded in community voice, data, and the seven Vital Conditions for Well-being. It found that housing was a major concern for seniors.
“Our early work identified a troubling local picture: more than 28% of Hemet residents are over age 65; housing costs are increasingly out of reach for fixed-income seniors; transportation and service access remain barriers; and older adults are increasingly showing up in homelessness data. The Think Tank concluded that upstream, coordinated solutions were needed—not simply crisis response,” O’Farrell said.
She said the recent conversation comes at an important moment because Healthy Valley Foundation is also preparing to publish its Spring 2026 San Jacinto Valley Senior Well-Being Report, based on a survey of 103 adults age 55+ in Hemet and San Jacinto.
“The report provides new localized insight into housing, income, transportation, belonging, civic engagement, and overall well-being,” O’Farrell said. The spring report will be available at the end of August and can be found at https://healthyvalleyfoundation.org/impact.
She shared that several findings reinforce the urgency of the Alliance’s housing strategy: 40% of respondents reported household incomes below $25,000; nearly three in four said housing costs are a burden; and 77% said they would not know—or were unsure where to go—for help if they were at risk of losing housing. Renters also reported lower than average well-being than homeowners.
“The report also points to a broader story: Valley seniors remain hopeful and engaged, but the systems around them are not always affordable, accessible, or easy to navigate. Nearly 6 in 10 expect to be thriving one year from now, while the report simultaneously identifies gaps in housing security, transportation, and civic influence,” O’Farrell said. “The story we see emerging is not simply about senior housing. It is about whether our Valley is building the infrastructure (and in a strategically united method) needed for a rapidly aging population to remain housed, connected, supported, and thriving.”
The Foundation regularly hosts Senior Stability Alliance “Senior Summits” as a cross-sector collaborative committed to building a sustainable, equitable safety net for older adults across the San Jacinto Valley.
“Our aim is to reduce isolation, improve housing stability, build civic muscle, and promote well-being for residents aged 55 and older,” O’Farrell said. “These events are more than a resource fair—it is a deliberate space to foster connection, inspire agency, and offer real-time support services to help older adults age with dignity and purpose.”
She said the next step is to map the Senior Stability Alliance partners and resources across Preserve, Protect, and Expand to better understand what already exists, make those resources easier for older adults to access, and identify the gaps that require collective action.
“The goal isn’t simply more housing programs,” O’Farrell said. “It is a coordinated housing ecosystem that helps older adults remain safely housed, prevents a crisis before displacement occurs, and expands affordable choices when their current housing no longer works. Together, we are building a valley where aging is supported—not survived.”
The Alliance’s next meeting is set for Nov. 17 at 9 a.m. For more information, 951-593-9597
or healthyvalleyfoundation@gmail.com.
