Grantee Spotlight: Senior Advocacy Network Keeps Seniors Housed and Heard

Image credit: Senior Advocacy Network

For many older adults, home represents far more than a place to live. It is where routines, relationships, and a sense of independence are built over time. But when housing costs rise or a legal issue emerges, that stability can quickly become uncertain. In Stanislaus County, Senior Advocacy Network (SAN) helps older adults protect their rights, remain housed, and access support before a difficult situation becomes a crisis.

Originally known as The Senior Law Project, Senior Advocacy Network was founded in 2011 by local attorney Joyce Gandelman in response to a growing need for legal support among older adults. What began as a small organization with two part-time attorneys, a handful of volunteers, and a budget of less than $150,000 has grown into a team of 22 staff members with a $1.8 million budget serving older adults in Stanislaus.

Free legal aid for adults 60 and older remains central to SAN’s work. SAN staff guide clients through issues such as advance care planning, consumer debt, tenant rights, homeowner preservation and elder abuse prevention, often intervening before a legal challenge escalates. As Executive Director Hannah Brady explained, early support can help older adults maintain more control over what comes next: “The faster we can make a game plan with those we support, the better their odds are of a future that they choose and are in charge of.”

That same preventive approach extends to SAN’s housing work. In 2021, the organization launched the Older Adult Rental Subsidy Program to ease rent burdens for low-income older adults in Stanislaus County. The need is significant: according to a Modesto Bee article from 2024, nearly half of renters in Stanislaus County (48.4%) spend more than 30% of their income on housing. The program provided a $200 monthly stipend, paid directly to landlords, offering a true lifeline for participants who spend more than half of their income on rent.

As federal and public funding streams become more limited, local support has helped SAN continue meeting immediate needs. Last year, a $15,000 grant from the Gould Medical Group Fund, a fund at Stanislaus Community Foundation, extended the rental subsidy program for three months, helping 20 older adults stay current on rent. The program is currently on pause due to funding. For SAN, the connection between housing and legal advocacy is clear. “For us, we want people to stay in their housing,” Hannah shared. “Because if they fall behind on their rent, they’ll end up in our legal program.”

For Hannah, that support honors the independence many older adults have spent a lifetime building. Many of the seniors SAN serves take pride in being self-sufficient, and she respects that. “Support doesn’t mean that you’re not self-sufficient,” she said. Through legal aid, housing assistance, and partnerships with local funders, SAN is helping older adults stay in the homes and communities where they’ve built their lives.

To learn more about Senior Advocacy Network go to https://senioradvocacynetwork.org/