BAY NEWS 9 | BY Melissa Eichman 
PUBLISHED 10:41 PM ET Jun. 17, 2025
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ST PETERSBURG, Fla. — The number of seniors calling the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas for help with housing has increased 40 percent since before the COVID-19 pandemic to now, according to Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas executive director Ann Marie Winter.
While the cost of rent is on the rise, so is the number of older American tenants.

What You Need To Know

• The number of seniors calling the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas for help with housing has increased 40 percent since before the COVID-19 pandemic to now, according to Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas
• An Urban Institute projection reports those 65 and older renting will increase from 22% in 2020 to 27% in 2040. It also suggests for Black seniors, that number will double
• View information on contacting the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas helpline

Cynthia Woods, 62, takes pride in her St. Petersburg home.

“I love gardening, that’s one of my favorite things to do,” said Woods of the hobby she says brings her peace. “My dream is to have my own home so I can do this.”

She has been renting her home for 13 years.

“Started off paying $900, two or three years ago it doubled, $1,850,” said Woods of the rent she says she’s struggling to pay. She wonders if home ownership is in her future.

“Right now, I’m working on my credit again since the bankruptcy and trying to get in the position to buy a home because I can’t afford to move,” said Woods.

Woods, who is a mother and grandmother, joins a growing number of older tenants in the United States. An Urban Institute projection reports those 65 and older renting will increase from 22% in 2020 to 27% in 2040. It also suggests for Black seniors, that number will double.

“Seniors are reaching out to us because they can’t afford to live in their homes,” says Winter. "The agency offers more than 40 services to help seniors live well at home, aging from caregiving and wellness programs to transportation and mental health services.

“We get about 1,000 calls a week from seniors."

Those calls are from seniors like Woods, reaching out for those home and community-based services to help supplement their fixed income, especially when the cost of housing is soaring.

“So, that limited income is all they have, so some feel that moving into a rental is going to be less expensive, more affordable because they won’t have to worry about replacing their roof or cleaning their gutters or maintaining their landscaping, they’ll pay one monthly fee and that will be it,” said Winter.
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“Things are happening everyday, it’s getting more and more expensive,” said Woods.