Millions of older people in the U.S. live on the economic edge—evictions will send them into homelessness
In late August, the Supreme Court ruled that evictions can resume, despite an effort by the Biden administration to temporarily ban them due to the pandemic. The impact of this ruling could have dire consequences for many older adults already on the financial brink.
In fact, the number of homeless people who are 55 and older is rising at an alarming rate. I have seen this first hand as the CEO of Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS), a 470-bed homeless emergency shelter in downtown Phoenix. Roughly 30% of our clients are over 55. Many more are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. We have even served people in their 90s. But because we are a mass shelter, we can’t offer these clients accommodations to make their stay more comfortable and safe.
In fact, at a shelter like CASS, many of these clients have to climb into bunk beds or sleep on thin mattress pads on the floor.
It’s time to do better.
People find this hard to believe, but the data does not lie. Between 2016 and 2019, CASS tracked a 31% increase in the 55-and-older homeless population. And the number of 65+ homeless adults is projected to triple by 2030, according to the report, The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness.
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