New York City has a Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program (SCRIE), which covers rent increases for renewal leases, Maximum Base Rent (MBR), fuel, landlord hardship and major capital improvements where rent equals at least one-third of net monthly income. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/benefits/rent.shtml
Connecticut has an Elderly Rental Assistance Program, which is a state program that aides low-income seniors living in eligible state subsidized rental housing. https://www.ct.gov/doh/cwp/view.asp?q=530490, https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_128.htm#sec_8-119kk
If your city and state do not have a rent assistance program, contact your city council and legislators, tell them it should be a priority, and provide the models, above . Here is the legislative contact information for some East Bay, CA cities:
Berkeley: Send an advocacy letter to council@cityofberkeley.info, and mayor@CityofBerkeley.info or mail to 2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Oakland: Send to 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612, or look up the email address of your representative at http://www2.oaklandnet.com/government/o/CityCouncil/index.htm
Albany: Send to citycouncil@albanyca.org or mail to: Albany City Council, c/o City Clerk, 1000 San Pablo Avenue, Albany, CA 94706
Visit office hours, meeting and hearings of sympathetic city council members to voice importance of developing affordable senior housing:
(For Berkeley:)
● Council member Ben Bartlett: Office hours every Monday, contact the council member for details at d3info@cityofberkeley.info or (510) 981-7130
● Council member Kate Harrison: https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Council_4/Elected_Officials_and_Collections/Office_Hours.aspx
● Berkeley Commission on aging: 3rd Wednesday, 1:00 p.m. https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Commissions/Commissions__Commission_on_Aging_Homepage.aspx
● Berkeley Housing Advisory Commission: South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 1st Thursday, 7:00 p.m. https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Housing_Advisory_Commission/