When I went out to run this morning, it seemed much harder than it was even ten or twenty years ago.

The truth is many things are getting harder as I get older. And it isn’t just me—America is getting older. The number of people over 50 in our country has doubled, and by 2035, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that people over 65 will outnumber children under age 18 (78 million compared to 76.7 million, respectively).

Surprisingly, this issue hasn't been discussed much when dealing with homelessness, but that has changed with a new study called “The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness.”

Dennis Culhane of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the report’s authors, has been studying homelessness for over 40 years. At a recent National Alliance to End Homelessness conference, he shared that when he first starting spending time with the homeless, he was surprised to learn that the greatest numbers of people he was encountering were—like him—in their twenties. This was the 1980s and the people he was encountering were those of the latter half of the baby boom who missed out on the great employment and investment opportunities of those in the first half of their generation. They instead experienced back-to-back recessions and a much tighter job market, especially those without higher education. In the 1980s, black men in their 20s faced an unemployment rate of 25%.

Unfortunately, the difficulties of the later Baby Boomers have persisted, and with each passing decade, the large group of homeless people continued aging: into their 30s in the 1990s, 40s in the 2000s, and 50s in the 2010s. Now, as we enter the 2020s, the largest segment of homeless persons are becoming senior citizens. And to make matters worse, research also shows that homeless people experience dramatically worse medical conditions than their peers, with health issues equivalent to those of housed people 20 years older. 

The study goes on to suggest that investment in housing solutions designed for this population will save costs that will otherwise be spent in hospitals and nursing homes if the issue is not addressed. And while the research was completed in Boston, Los Angeles and New York, the situation is no different here in Louisville. Our outreach teams and supportive housing providers struggle to address the increased health care and mobility needs of homeless persons in their 60s. We see increased numbers of walkers and wheelchairs, greater numbers with chronic diseases including diabetes and heart disease and a rising number of people dealing with cancer both in our shelter system and on the streets.

If we hope to address this problem before it is too late, we need greater communication between the managed care organizations, hospitals and nursing homes with homeless service providers. We can no longer function in our silos and hope that the homeless can manage their care between our systems. This report reminds us that we cannot wait until the questions about Medicaid are all addressed. The time is now. 

I am working with the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness to create a committee to make recommendations for actions to address aged homelessness here in Louisville. If you are interested in being part, just email and let me know at nharris@louhomeless.org.

Natalie

About Us

The Coalition for the Homeless's mission is to prevent and end homelessness in Louisville through advocacy, education, and the coordination of our 30 member agencies. We have been the lead advocate for Louisville's homeless since 1986, when we were founded by community leaders after several people died on Louisville's streets.

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