By Vincent Lim
Henry Cisneros, executive chairman of the investment firm CityView and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), said America needs to build and modify homes and communities to support its growing older adult population. His remarks were made during the 2012 Edward R. Roybal Memorial Lecture at USC.
Sponsored by the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the USC School of Social Work and co-hosted by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), the annual event honors the institute’s namesake and original founder Edward Roybal – a champion of health and aging services for vulnerable populations.
“He addressed issues of the underserved, and one of those populations for which he had great sensitivity was persons of advancing aging, and as always, he was ahead of his time,” said Cisneros, speaking to an audience that included all of Roybal’s children.
Speaking from his experience as HUD secretary and head of an institutional investment firm dedicated to creating affordable housing opportunities, Cisneros emphasized the urgency of creating spaces and places where the elderly can maintain their health and independence.