Re-envisioning age-friendly communities through the lens of housing (in)security
Weldrick, R., Canham, S. L., & Humphries, J. (2026, Oct). Re-envisioning age-friendly communities through the lens of housing (in)security. [Paper presentation]. The 55th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology, Charlottetown, PEI, October 15-17, 2026.
Abstract
The World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFC) framework has informed global policy on ageing for nearly two decades. Yet, its underlying assumptions of residential stability and material security excludes older adults who have experiences of housing insecurity and/or homelessness. Further, estimates have shown that late life homelessness is becoming increasingly prevalent in many communities. To strengthen more inclusive age-friendly policy and planning, this paper applies an aging in the right place (AIRP) framework to re-examine the AFC domains (e.g., housing, transportation, inclusion) through a rights-based and housing-focused lens. This conceptual paper draws insights from a multi-method, community-based study of late life homelessness in three Canadian cities. Using the six AIRP indicators (i.e., built environment, onsite/offsite services, social integration, housing stability and affordability, emotional place attachment, and political-economic context), we critically appraise the eight AFC domains and offer areas for an expanded approach that is more meaningfully inclusive. Applying the AIRP framework illuminates critical gaps in the AFC domains, particularly its limited attention to housing affordability, tenure security, and structural inequities. Our analysis extends each AFC domain toward principles of belonging, autonomy, and housing justice. Integrating AIRP within municipal policy and planning reframes age-friendliness as contingent on housing stability and social inclusion. Building on this analysis, we identify actionable mechanisms and policy recommendations to adapt AFC domains across several contexts and locations to ensure that age-friendly initiatives encompass the realities of older adults with experiences of housing insecurity.
