WASHINGTON – NCB Development Corp. on Wednesday awarded Maine one of eight Coming Home grants, designed to bring affordable assisted living to the state.

Funded by a $6.5 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NCBDC’s Coming Home Program provides $300,000 three-year grants to Maine and seven other states willing to make regulatory changes needed to foster affordable assisted living for low-income seniors.

The program provides recipients with technical assistance on state public policy issues, a revolving loan fund and assistance to local sponsors who wish to develop affordable assisted living.

More than half of Maine’s elderly are 75 and older with incomes at less than $25,000 per year. Many don’t have access to affordable assisted living. As a result, low-income older persons must either forgo needed services, move away from their communities, rely on family members who struggle to meet their needs, or unnecessarily enter the more institutional environment of a nursing home.

“Maine’s commitment is demonstrated by the $1.8 million already appropriated for assisted living at six sites,” said Department of Human Services Commissioner Kevin W. Concannon.

Assisted living – a residential setting that combines apartment living with supportive personal and health care services – allows elders to maintain their independence and dignity while receiving a high level of care and support. Access to affordable assisted living for consumers with very low income has improved in Maine with the expansion of residential care and the creation of the demonstration programs.

The governor’s Retirement Industry Council identified a significant gap for elderly with incomes between $18,000 and $30,000 who don’t qualify for these low rates, yet can’t afford the high rates of other assisted living residences. This grant will help fill this gap.

Launched as a demonstration project in 1992 and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Coming Home Program promotes the development of affordable assisted living for elders who need personal and health care services and have incomes of less than $25,000. It focuses on creating models that will work in smaller and rural communities. Maine has a significant rural population, with 55 percent of the state being rural, compared to the average of 25 percent for the rest of the nation. Maine’s elderly population is steady at 14 percent. However, this is expected to increase by 50 percent over the next 20 years with the retirement of the baby boomers.

Medicaid is the primary funder of long-term care services for low-income elders. The majority of Medicaid funds are used to pay for care in skilled nursing facilities. In order to make assisted living affordable for people with low incomes, Medicaid funds must be allocated.

Over the past 20 years, many state-based Medicaid programs, in partnership with the federal government, have begun to allow a portion of Medicaid appropriations to be used for programs that support elders in their own homes and assisted living. In doing so, they seek to prevent inappropriate and premature nursing home placement.

In order to use Medicaid funds to support care outside of skilled nursing facilities, states must first apply for and receive approval from the Health Care Financing Administration for a Medicaid Waiver. Maine has several waivers in place.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care.