Cantor: Scottsdale's lack of affordable senior housing is pushing people out — including me

Think it through. Gather all of the information, most importantly the elements that pertain to Scottsdale.

Reporters and the people have to do it. Politicians won’t. Neither will promoters of “special interests.”

And always listen to the words they use.

Of the utmost importance remember: We elect people to govern, not to play political games.

This is not the first time Scottsdale has sought to address affordable housing.

The most recent, Family Promise, has proven to be a success in helping families who have lost their homes for many years. They have received awards for helping folks become successful personally, as well as helping them understand how to take care of homes and family finances.

Scottsdale participates in the Family Self-Sufficiency Program and has for many years.

In the 1980s the first program created by the Neighborhood Enhancement Commission was to help folks who needed housing, and neighborhoods that didn’t want to see vacant house’s boarded up creating attractive nuisances.

Under the direction of former Neighborhood Services Manager, Raun Keagy, the city purchased houses that had been foreclosed on and families applied for the ownership.

They had to follow a program of how to repair, maintain and improve the property. When repairs were complete the Neighborhood Enhancement Commission held an open house and invited neighbors and city council and the press to come find out what the program was all about.

I am proud to say nary a word was spoken in opposition.

They learned to handle all finances pertaining to the family and the house and employment.

The city retained ownership of the house and the family had to reimburse the city. If they had to relocate for any reason the city had the option to sell it thus recovering tax dollars used in the program. The family got back a percentage of what they paid into it.

Keagy is not available at the moment to make sure I have that all straight, but since I had been appointed by Mayor Drinkwater to help create the NEC, I took a chance I could get pretty close.

I worked to help move over 100 elderly long time Scottsdale residents who were displaced when the mobile home park they had lived in for decades, was sold for infill development and another 20 souls who had to be vacated from apartments that were also being demolished to make way for higher and denser Multifamily luxury developments.

In those instances Scottsdale had nothing to provide in the way of help. Some of us from the Community Council of Scottsdale, the late Councilman Tony Nelson, Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield and former Councilman Bob Littlefield, and long time resident Mike Merrill, helped move folks and set-up in the new spaces including some electrical, plumbing and some cabinetry.

Officially the city of Scottsdale had no tools in the basket.

A healthy city can accommodate all of the residents’ needs, providing a hand up, not just a handout.

A personal comment: I am a senior citizen, as I have stated, a 60 year resident of southern Scottsdale. In 2022 the rent on the condo we share was raised from $1,200 a month to above $2,500. I had to leave Scottsdale. I now live in east Mesa 21.8 miles outside Scottsdale. That was what the former mayor suggested, and I believe the same sentiment was shared by someone on the current council.

My new apartment is a one bedroom unit with walk-in closets, regular sized appliances and a huge island and larger-than-normal patio. The building is three stories. Washer/Dryer in my unit. A living room that accommodates four 7-foot tall bookcases, my dad’s desk, my sofa, a club chair, console for a 54-inch TV, and two side chairs, a coffee table and side tables. Other units have two and three bedrooms.

We have a beautiful swimming pool and picnic area. Solar energy. A lounge/party room, video room, a business center, beauty salon, exercise room and it is for over 55-years and older on fixed income. They are building in other places around the Valley and all of them are three stories, too.

The developer asked the previous administration if they could discuss building in Scottsdale, but the previous administration said we didn’t need such affordable senior housing.