By HECTOR FLORES

When the golden years are tarnished with the troubles of where to live, the demand for public housing in Southeast Queens is leaving some seniors to linger on waiting lists without a place to call home.

"At least one to three seniors come in on a daily basis and we have to turn them away because we cannot help," said Joan Moodie, manager for the Northeastern Towers in Jamaica.

"We have a waiting list of seniors looking for a space, and it depends on their luck," she said. "They may be fortunate to be number one
and get housing in a week or may be unfortunate to receive number 260 and wait three years to get housing."

According to Moodie, the waiting list for the Northeastern Towers is currently closed, but will reopen sometime in the end of January. However, that doesn’t mean there will be space for new applicants.

"It all depends on the availability and eligibility of the applicant. We are a section 202/8 housing and there is a criteria that seniors must have, but again we only have an opening once someone moves out," she explained.

Public Housing refers to houses that have been built and managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

There are currently two Public Houses in Southeast Jamaica that provide housing for low and moderate income seniors.

Senior citizens, who can live independently in a community setting and are given referrals to services as needed.

In order to qualify for Public Housing, single residents must currently earn less than $28,100. For a double dwelling, residents must earn a less than $32,150 combined.

There are three apartments that fall under the Public Housing criteria: Conlon - L.I.H.F.E. Towers at 116-40 Guy Brewer Blvd. Jamaica, International Tower 90-20 170 St. Jamaica, and Shelton Houses 89-09 162 St. Jamaica.

For information on applying for Public Housing, contact the NYC Housing Authority at (212) 306-3000.

There are currently four different kinds of housing programs available to seniors. They are adult homes, public housing, Section 202 Housing and Section 8.

According to Irene Peterson, from the Department of Aging’s Housing Unit, seniors pay a small percentage of their income to live in these homes. "Whatever their income, they only pay 30 percent," she said.

According to the manager of Northeastern Towers in Jamaica (above), one to three seniors are turned away each day due to the high demand for public housing.

According to the Department’s housing guide, Adult Homes provide long-term residential care, room and board, housekeeping, personal care (bathing and dressing assistance), and are attended to by at least five staff members. Seniors are provided with three meals a day and have activities or trips planned out for them daily.

However, these homes do not provide nursing or medical care for the tenants, but there are doctors contracted to visit seniors. The average home ranges in size from 30 to 400 beds and can be private or shared.

There are three Adult homes located in Southeast Jamaica and are regulated by the New York State Department of Social Services. These homes may operate under proprietary, public or not for profit agencies.

Private houses may charge a monthly fee of $1,200 to $2,000, so they are not recommended for seniors with limited incomes.

However, some of these facilities accept Social Security (SSA), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Social Security Disability (SSD) as full payment.

To be eligible for an adult home, seniors must be either ambulatory or able to transfer from a bed to a chair, alert, and continent.

There are currently three housing apartments listed under Adult Homes in Southeast Queens: New Whitman Home for Adult located at 160-11 89th Ave. Jamaica 739-5200, Queens Manor Home for Adults at 153-90 Rockaway Blvd. Jamaica 341-3000, and Queen of Peace Residence 110-30 221st St. Queens Village 464-1800.

Section 202 Housing is a federal program that provides low income senior citizens with rental assistance and new housing.

The program also gives disabled seniors supportive services, including meals, housekeeping, transportation, social services, and activities that promote independent living.

However, prior to 1991, the program did not include funding for services so some Section 202 housing programs vary in the services they offer.

Residents in this housing program pay 30 percent of their income for rent while federal funding covers the rest of the balance.

To be eligible for the program, a household must have at least one member 62 years or older and a gross annual income of no more than $17,550 for one person dwelling, and no more than $20,100 for two person dwelling.

There are five buildings that fall under Section 202 housing, they are:
• Allen Senior Citizens Apts. 166-01 Linden Blvd. Jamaica. For more information, call 526-3510;
• Calvary Baptist Church Houses 160-60 Claude Ave. Jamaica. Call 657-7264;
• Grace Houses 155-02 90th Ave Jamaica. Call 297-4954;
• Northeastern Towers 131-10 Guy Brewer Blvd. Jamaica. Call 712-2878;
• Father Reder Senior Apts. 238 Hillside Ave. Bellerose. Call 596-5500.

Section 8 Housing refers to buildings built using funds provided by Section 8 of the U.S. Building Act. These residence were built solely for the elderly and may not provide services.

The only Section 8 Housing available for Southeast Queens residents are the Montauk Apartments located on 186-18 120 Rd., St. Albans. For more information, call 723-4013.

According to Beverly Boodram of the Montauk Apartments, "On average, to qualify for residency in our apartments single residents must have an annual income of $19,000 dollars while a two person dwelling must have an annual income of $22,500 dollars. They must be over 62 years of age or disabled to qualify. Government allowances depend solely on individual cases."

The Montauk apartments does not offer any services – no doctors, nurses, or food.

These are independent living apartments and tenants must provide for their own food and health care.

There are currently 128 units in the apartments.

For Southeast Queens seniors, the Department of Aging publishes a comprehensive guide for alternative housing. For a copy of the guide, which reviews alternative housing options in Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Jamaica, St. Albans, Hollis Queens Village, and Rosedale, contact the Department at (212) 442-1000.