Linda Naturale says she was lucky, after a two-year wait, to finally be moving in at Park Heights Senior Housing in Rosendale. It's a property managed by RUPCO, a non-profit that provides affordable housing throughout the Hudson Valley.

Naturale says she was priced out of her long-time home just down the road, when her rent nearly doubled from $650 to $1,100 a month when a new management company took over. She says that for retired seniors surviving off Social Security, significant rent hikes can put their housing situation in jeopardy.

“I would be forcing myself to pay what they wanted," Naturale said, “and then get extra food stamps or some other kind of service where I could afford to live. Because that’s way more than half of my social.”

According to a recent Harvard study, only one third of low-income seniors receive subsidized housing, while 69% more seniors have to live in shelters. The homeless rates for people older than 50 has gone up almost 11% over 10 years.

New York is doing more to combat the housing crisis, like in Rochester, where two new facilities combined will provide more than 200 affordable homes for seniors.

Kevin O’Connor, the CEO of RUPCO, says it’s the worst housing crisis ever. RUPCO has more than 750 units throughout the region, but the demand is still very high.

More assistance will be coming for seniors, with 57 apartments soon to open in the town of Lloyd. The apartments, called Silver Gardens, will provide affordable housing to low-income seniors and seniors with special needs.

The project is a collaboration between RUPCO and Richard Gerrentine, a former Ulster legislator who oversees several senior housing facilities, including Golden View in Highland.

O’Connor says the housing crunch is a perfect storm of issues, from the 2008 mortgage crisis to the rise of Airbnbs and now more recently, population shifts due to COVID-19. The need for more affordable housing in the area is growing every day.

“We just have a bit of a tsunami here," O'Connor said.

Naturale says she can attest to the need for housing that reflects what people are making and what they can afford.

“I would’ve had to go back to work, yeah, absolutely," she said, “which I don’t want to!”

O’Connor says that the project is awaiting approval from the state but expects the units to be available by late 2023 or early 2024.