I saw with dismay on video that Ben Spencer who is running for councilor-at-large suggested that one way to open up housing in Northampton was to have seniors move into some of the apartments that are being built in town, essentially selling their homes to families. After all, we all know the old timers don’t need to be rattling around in their great big house that a family could fill.
I have so many issues with this suggestion. One is that it seems not to understand that many older people have lived in their homes for decades. The home that they live in may have been passed to them by their parents or grandparents. They have memories in that home. Has Mr. Spencer considered that maybe the home an elder lives in may be their only asset? Not everyone retires with a 401k or full bank account. It may be the only asset they have to leave to their own children; they may want to have their children live in it. They may love their home so much they might want to live their last days in it.
The second issue I have with this suggestion probably bothers me even more than the aforementioned. When I was growing up in Northampton, Mrs. Chandler lived across the street. She was to me at the time old, though she might only have been in her 60s. She foraged in my parents’ backyard for mushrooms, let us pick blueberries in her blueberry patch, let us play dress up with clothing that seemed to be from another century. She popped us popcorn, made us pudding, and took care of the neighborhood kids when we were sick and our Moms had to work. We could do whatever we wanted in her house as long as we didn’t touch her pinking shears.
Fast forward 25 years. My current home had an elderly woman, Marian, living next door to my family and me in Florence. Marian let us have a vegetable garden in her yard because we wanted to keep the yard open for play. She invited us over on hot, humid days to sit in her air-conditioned home. She babysat for my son when my parents couldn’t. She invited us over for supper and to play cards. My son was lucky to have not only four grandparents, but five! Marian stayed in her home until it was no longer viable, with my family helping her family keep an eye on her. Now my husband and I are in our 60s. There is a family full of happy chaos living in Marian’s old home. Their two little girls come over to pick berries and tomatoes, play in our yard, visit our chickens, pick flowers, ask for cookies and cake. We love it!
As to my first point, what difference does it make who’s paying the taxes on the property? If the taxes are paid by young or old, the city is still collecting their taxes. As to my second point, maybe some of what is wrong with our society as a whole is because neighbors don’t help neighbors anymore.
Perhaps Mr. Spencer has forgotten it takes a village, and that the elderly of our community are not a disposable commodity, because they aren’t.
Kim Perez
Florence