Leslie McIntire, 69, is part of the baby boomer generation that is entering older age amid a historic affordable housing shortage and rising wealth inequality in the U.S. Keren Carrión/NPR
By Jennifer Ludden, National Public Radio (NPR), November 30, 2023
A few decades ago, Leslie McIntire thought she was doing everything right for a comfortable life. She was a tax accountant in Washington, D.C., and co-owned a not-for-profit bookstore. "I had good savings," she says. "I was quite happy, quite frankly, and I was preparing to go back to school."
Then a car accident dislocated her hip and jaw, left her psychologically rattled and derailed her career.
McIntire held on in her rent-controlled apartment for a while, even after she was forced to go on disability and started burning through savings. She eventually realized she needed more help, but then had to endure a three-year wait to get into the federally subsidized senior housing where she now lives.
Comments (0)