The Rise of Homelessness Among the Elderly

As much as I see the youth and young adults living on the streets or in tents, there has also been a recent site of the homeless elderly during the pandemic. However, while the homelessness among the youth is much more prevalent than the elderly, research shows that any level of homelessness among the elderly are concerning. 

Between 2010 and 2020, cases show from the Homelessness Research Institution that there has been a dramatic increase in the elderly homeless population between ages 50 to 64. Researches found that the homeless population ranging from ages 50 or over in San Francisco went progressively from 11.2% to 32.3% between 1990-1994 to 2000-2002. And, data from New York City indicates that the median age of the homeless population went from 28 to 42 years of age from 1987 to 2005. Studies predict that homelessness among the elderly will increase substantially over the next decade. 

Two demographic factors that contribute to the increase of the homeless elderly population is the overall growth of it by 33% between 2010 and 2050, and the relative stability in the proportion of the elderly population facing economic vulnerability, with poverty being the most common. In short, the elderly homelessness is the result of an inability to afford housing. Studies show that there were over 969,925 elderly people, or 2.3% of them, in deep poverty in 2008. And according to the American Community Survey, 9.9% of people over 65 years of age had annual incomes below the poverty threshold of $10,326 for a single person and $13.030 for a couple. 

The aging homeless may have also been dealt with multiple medical and mental issues that get untreated. Exposure to harsh weather and the unhealthy shelter environment can affect the health and well-being of the elderly population. Mental health is also very important when researchers examined the reasons behind their homelessness. Some mental illnesses, such as memory loss as an example, can affect the ability to secure housing as acquiring housing often involved multiple appointments and self-initiated persistence. 

What else we can do to decrease the population is by prioritizing federal housing programs to reduce the economic hardship experienced by the elderly whose only income is often Social Security and/or Supplemental Security Income. The federal housing policies should be expanded and adjusted in order to meet the needs of poor and vulnerable aged Americans. An alternative to it will be to promote intensive housing and service needs to those who are 50 to 64 years of age who are chronically homeless. In addition, the elderly homeless will often require intensive service coordination in order to help them transition into permanent housing smoothly and ensure that they remain there. 

For more details on the rise of the elderly homeless and how to deal with poverty, go visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness and their elderly homeless report to learn more. 

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