With over 30 percent of Rhode Islanders age 65 and older, tackling the many issues of an aging population was front and center at the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island’s fifteenth annual conference.

The event, entitled “The Politics of Aging,” was held Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza, and, fittingly, was attended by many of the state’s politicians, including Governor Dan McKee, Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos and Representative Seth Magaziner.

Keynote speaker David Cicilline, current president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation and former U.S. Congressional Representative, said that his time in politics taught him about the influence of people’s personal experiences on public policy.

“You are advocates,” Cicilline said. “The stories you have and the experiences you have are the single most powerful thing you can share with people in government.”

Cicilline said that his political experience would help the Rhode Island Foundation put a greater focus on community and public engagement.

Much of the day’s conversation focused on the impact of housing affordability for seniors in Rhode Island, which, according to Executive Director of Housing Works RI Brenda Clement, is the top concern among seniors that she interviewed.

One of the largest issues in regards to housing prices has proven to be the stock of housing in the state. According to Rhode Island Secretary of Housing Stefan Pryor, Rhode Island has the lowest housing production rate out of all 50 states, and 69 percent of homes in the state were built prior to 1980.

With a smaller supply of houses, those left out in the cold are the state’s most vulnerable populations, which include many seniors.

“We do not have enough units,” State Representative June Speakman (D-Warren) said. “The market is not going to provide sufficient units without significant government subsidies.”

Rising prices have also had a major impact on buying- and renting- homes in Rhode Island. Anyone reliant on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) would have to pay 119 percent of their monthly income in order to rent a one-bedroom apartment, according to Pryor.

Pryor said that many of these issues are due to years of underinvestment in housing, and the simplest solution is to up the investments in home construction.

“The best solution to all of our problems is increasing housing stock,” Pryor said. “Building homes helps our seniors, no matter the type of housing stock.”

While housing continues to be a struggle, Cicilline said that one thing that he believes has gotten easier for elderly residents was drug pricing- something that he said was a persistent source of worries for seniors that he would visit while in Congress.

“In every single place I visited and had conversations with seniors, the anxiety that they had about the cost of prescription drugs [was evident],” Cicilline said.

Provisions including capping the price of insulin at $35 for many, including senior citizens, and allowing for Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain drugs were passed as part of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act- one of the final major bills passed while Cicilline was a member of the House of Representatives.

Present at the event were many different organizations with booths lined up in the hallway outside of the ballroom where the speeches were given, including event sponsor United Healthcare, AARP Rhode Island, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, the Ocean State Center for Independent Living and Meals on Wheels.