The Emerging Crisis of Senior Homelessness: What Can Be Done to Help?

A study by University of Pennsylvania researchers on seismic demographic trends in New York City's shelter system determined that an epidemic of senior homelessness is unfolding, reports Health Affairs . Shelter residents 50 and older exceeded 17,000 in 2017, an almost threefold increase from 2004 — and the study forecast that nearly 25,000 aged New Yorkers will be homeless by 2030. More worrying still are projections that this growth will be focused in those 65 and older. Parallel studies in Boston and Los Angeles confirmed similar age trends among those cities' homeless populations, while a Health Affairs study determined that 33 percent to 50 percent of shelter residents are entering homelessness for the first time. Some have worked low-wage manual jobs and cannot afford ever-mounting rents, or handle the lifting and bending required by their occupations. Moreover, the New York City study found that costs for shelter and healthcare for the senior homeless are high and likely to rise quickly. However, various housing and social service interventions are in development. The researchers expect a range of short- or long-term rental assistance programs will emerge in conjunction with social services to help homeless seniors reconnect with relatives, move in with a partner or roommate, or rent an apartment of their own.