As Gov. Maura Healey continues to bail out the leaking boat that is the migrant crisis in Massachusetts, the expenses borne by the state continue to climb.

The designation of the old Bay State Correctional Center in Norfolk into a shelter is going to cost upwards of $800,000 for improvements and renovations, officials have said.

Another day, another piece of the crisis averted, and another enormous sum of money spent.

What are the plans for the old prison/new shelter moving forward?

The end game is ostensibly getting work authorizations for migrants and moving them into stable housing. That’s quite the task, considering many residents struggle to find affordable housing already. However, the will and the check-writing abilities of the Healey Administration are strong.

Let’s assume that at some point, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, the Norfolk prison/shelter won’t be needed as an overflow site.

An excellent use for the newly renovated building would be as affordable housing for seniors.

While the struggle to find affordable housing is spread throughout Massachusetts, it’s a particular burden for senior citizens. Many can’t afford to “age in place” as rents climb, and assisted living is too often out of reach for those on a small fixed income. A 2019 report from UMass Boston’s Gerontology Institute found Massachusetts has the highest percentage of older adults living alone who are unable to afford basic necessities without extra assistance.

About 62% of adults age 65 and older in Massachusetts are unable to afford the cost of a no-frills lifestyle that pays for basics such as food, housing, health care and transportation.

Among older Massachusetts residents living alone, 18% fell below the poverty guideline and 44% more were living in the gap (making more than the Federal Poverty Line, but not enough to cover the cost of living.)

If the state can envision the old prison as a shelter for migrant and homeless families, it can imagine the benefit of affordable and/or subsidized senior housing on the site.

Assisted living facilities offer, depending on price, one-bedroom units with private bath. The prison/shelter could fit the bill. It would have to be made handicapped-accessible, of course. There’s already a cafeteria on site — meal service could be contracted out, and again, subsidized for those elders who couldn’t afford them. Common areas could be converted into places to visit with family, or enjoy group activities.

It wouldn’t be a nursing home, though the nursing home option as a last-ditch housing solution for low-income elders is also coming up short. According to a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston May report, from the start of fiscal year 2010 through the end of fiscal 2023, the number of nursing homes in New England decreased 15%. The six New England states each experienced declines greater than the national rate.

Single-unit affordable and/or subsidized housing for seniors, with access to meals if needed, is a laudable next use for the Norfolk site.

If the Healey Administration can step up for migrants and the homeless, it can certainly step up with a plan for the state’s low-income seniors.

Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley (Creators Syndicate)