"Literally, my first job was serving seniors," says Melinda Forstey, who waited tables at age 14 in a Massachusetts center for older adults. "That was my entry into the workforce, and I’ve always enjoyed working with older adults."

Today, Melinda is chief operating officer of Serving Seniors, a longtime San Diego nonprofit. Serving Seniors’ primary missions address food and housing needs of low-income older adults in one of the United States’ highest cost-of-living regions.

Typical rent for a San Diego studio apartment is $2,168 a month, while average income for an older adult is much less, and many are becoming unhoused.

Developing "Housing for All Stages and Ages" is goal one of California’s Master Plan for Aging, with a target of millions of new housing options by 2030 to help Californians age well. Serving Seniors is helping California reach that goal by running four low-cost housing complexes for older adults, with a fifth under construction.

"We know that 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, and that’s going to grow," Melinda says. "We need to continue to aggressively focus on housing; we can’t build quick enough, and we need innovative solutions," including more widespread rental subsidies, she says.

Beyond that, those committed to aging services must "emphasize dignity," Melinda says. "So many older adults are not truly seen or heard, and often dismissed. But they have incredible life experiences and incredible wisdom. It’s so important to treat them with dignity and to lift up their voices."

Melinda and Serving Seniors reflect the positive impacts of dedicated services for older adults, going strong in California for 50 years and counting.