Since 1972 ,when the city of Miami Beach, Florida initiated redevelopment plans for South Miami Beach, the elderly residents have been besieged by a series of events beyond their control that have left them at risk emotionally and physically. To examine the relative impact of health, personal control, and social support as predictors of affect and life satisfaction, personal interviews were conducted with 92 South Beach residents. Eighty-seven respondents (50 females, 37 males) provided relatively complete information. Support measures incorporated in the interviews included a support diagram, the Desired and Expected Control Scale, a health checklist, the Affect Balance Scale, and a life satisfaction scale. An analysis of the results showed that health status was a strong predictor of affect balance, but the support and control variables were significant as well, and accounted for independent portions of the variance. Quantity of support was not related to life satisfaction, but was related to health. Support was related to satisfaction in specific areas such as geographic location, housing, standard of living and income, and family life satisfaction. Individuals with no close support figures were more likely to be depressed and less likely to desire control. These findings suggest that social support can mediate depression, and that attachment relationships are important to well being throughout the life span. (BL)