THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 1, 2025 Page 19 Saugus residents graduate from St. Mary’s, Lynn Sa nr Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller How to Find Aff ordable Senior Housing Near You Dear Savvy Senior, Are there any resources that you know of that can help seniors locate aff ordable housings? My sister, who’s 65 years old, needs to fi nd a diff erent place to live but has very little money. What can you tell me? Searching Sister The following residents of Saugus graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Lynn. Shown in no particular order: Alessandra Palmer, Madison MacLean, Marissa Bridges, Sabrina Domohowski, Anaiya Satterwhite, Ava Gigliotti, Domenic Catino, John Carbone, Zoran Ernjakovic Jr., Joseph Calder and Joseph Carriglio. Missing from the photo is Jack Hall. (Photo courtesy of St. Mary’s Lynn) SCAMS | FROM PAGE 8 cryptocurrency ATMs to avoid arrest. • Ask victims to liquidate assets into cash and/or purchase gold bars, silver, or other precious metals. • Ask you to use large sums of your own money to help catch a criminal. • Call you about “frozen” Social Security numbers or inheritances. Scams impersonating the FBI and other government agencies are a persistent problem and can also occur via email. Common hallmarks of a scam email include misspellings, missing words, and incorrect grammar. Fraudulent emails may give the appearance of legitimacy by using pictures of the FBI Director and/or the FBI seal and letterhead. Members of the public seeking to confi rm that they have been contacted by an actual FBI employee are encouraged to call the FBI Boston Division at 857-386-2000 and ask to be connected directly. To avoid becoming a victim of this scam, be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize. Do not send money to anybody you do not personally know and trust. Never give out your personal information, including your Social Security number, over the phone or to individuals you do not know. If you think you are a victim of this scam and suff ered a fi nancial loss, cease all contact with the scammers imSCAMS | SEE PAGE 22 RV FOR SALE 2003 Keystone Montana Trailer Good Condition, Sleeps 4, Everything Works. $4,000 or Best Offer! Must be towed. Call Jim - 781-771-9573 Dear Searching, Finding aff ordable senior housing options can be challenging depending on where your sister lives. Senior apartments for some retirees are a good option, and you’ll be happy to know that there are several government programs that can help financially. Here are some tips that can help your sister locate an apartment that fi ts her budget and living preferences. Start with HUD The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) off ers a variety of resources that can help lower-income people, like your sister, locate and pay for housing. Here are three diff erent programs to look into. • Privately owned subsidized apartments: HUD helps many apartment owners across the country offer reduced rents to low-income tenants. To search for subsidized apartments in your area, visit Resources.hud.gov. • Housing choice voucher program: This program allows low-income families, elderly, and disabled people aff ord decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The housing subsidy would be paid to the landlord each month. Your sister would then pay the diff erence between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. To learn more or apply, contact your local public housing agency (see HUD.gov/contactus/public-housing-contacts for contact information), or call 800-955-2232. • Public housing: This low-income housing option comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single-family houses to high rise apartments for elderly families. Your local public housing agency is again the resource for locating public housing in your area. If you need more help or housing advice, contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency near you. See HUD4.my.site. com/housingcounseling or call 800-569-4287 for contact information. How to Choose If you or your sister fi nd several apartment choices that fall within her budget, she should consider what’s important to her. She may want housing that’s close to family, religious organizations, senior centers, or places she visits regularly, like grocery stores, parks or gyms. Or, if she has a disabling condition, it may be especially critical for her to fi nd a living space that has easy access to important services like senior transportation and health care centers. In your housing search, you may also come across some red fl ags that indicate a retirement community wouldn’t be a good fi t for your sister. Keep an eye out for extra fees that may be applied to everyday items or perks you normally wouldn’t think about like laundry service, parking or pets. You should also make sure the apartment is in good condition and then scout out the neighborhood. Ask yourself if the community is clean and well maintained and if there is any debris or messy landscaping. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, follow up with questions before your sister signs a rental contract. Other Programs In addition to aff ordable housing, there are a number of other fi nancial assistance programs that may help your sister pay for things like food, medications, health care, utilities and more. To locate these programs, check her eligibility and apply, visit Benefi tsCheckUp.org. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior ior
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