Solutions to Homelessness in Older Adults in the United States

In today’s world, the topic of homelessness is not talked about enough. In the United States, homelessness is a growing issue that needs to be addressed expeditiously. According to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were more than 582,462 people experiencing homelessness in the year 2022 (“HUD Releases 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report”). As a result of increased homelessness, there has been a lot of research done focusing on the different factors contributing to homelessness. However, the major gap in the research is that there is insufficient research focusing on identifying the reasons behind the growing number of older homeless adults and proposing relevant solutions to these issues. According to a blog posted by Simmons University, people over the age of 50 make up “more than 30 percent” of the nation’s homeless population (“Aging on the Streets: America’s Growing Older Homeless Population”). With homelessness spreading throughout the United States like an epidemic, it is important to propose new solutions to address this issue instantly. Older adults in the United States are vulnerable to becoming homeless due to the lack of affordable housing, lack of governmental assistance, and due to age-related health issues. Some possible solutions to homelessness are affordable housing, governmental welfare programs,  providing affordable health care, and sufficiently funding housing programs.

For older adults in the US, the journey to homelessness can be multifaceted. One of the factors contributing to homelessness in older adults is the cost of health care. According to Phuntsho Om, a nurse educator with a research interest in topics like homelessness and aging, the older population is vulnerable to “functional, auditory, visual, and neurological” impairments (Om et al. 2). Because of these impairments, older adults lose their ability to work or to earn a living for themselves. Such age-related health issues can often hinder work life and can also add to a person’s expenditure. This issue is even more accelerated for the older generation who are already below the poverty line and are unable to afford health insurance. With a stagnant source of wealth and hindering health issues, this population is even more at risk of becoming homeless.

To help provide greater access to health care, a great solution is the Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to Monica Bharel, from the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and the Department of Medicine, lack of health insurance is “associated with more use of acute hospital facilities and fewer ambulatory services” (Bharel et al. S314). However, in her study, the insured homeless individuals had “rates of emergency department visits and hospitalization [that] remained high” (S314). This is because homeless individuals are more prone to health issues due to poor living conditions and hence they have higher rates of hospitalization. Some may argue that providing greater access to health care for homeless individuals is expensive. Although these programs might need a high cost to fund them, it is possible to reduce these costs by increasing the coverage of this Medicaid program.

In the past decade, increasing inflation and the low supply of housing have caused the price of housing and rent to increase exponentially. One of the biggest reasons why older adults are vulnerable to becoming homeless is that they are unable to afford housing prices. A majority of the aging population in the United States retires around the age of 60 (Bharel et al. S314). According to Rebecca T. Brown, an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, the older generation who are growing closer to retirement age could be faced with the issue of being unable to “collect income entitlements” before they reach the age of 65 (Brown et al. 2). Past the age of 60, many older adults have little to no active source of income and are highly dependent on their savings. However, it is difficult to maintain the same quality and standard of life with a stagnant amount of money. With housing prices increasing significantly, it becomes increasingly difficult for the older population to afford their living space. Thus, permanent housing programs and housing vouchers can help combat this issue by helping the older population afford houses and health care. 

According to Peggy Bailey, the Vice President for Housing and Income Security, permanent housing programs, also known as supportive housing, can be defined as “affordable housing combined with intensive coordinated services [which] can lower participants’ health care costs” (Bailey 2). Thus, these programs help individuals afford to house and also help them with health care. Additionally, permanent housing programs “keep people out of hospitals, emergency rooms, and nursing homes” (4). The implementation of these permanent housing programs can help significantly reduce overall healthcare costs. Similarly, housing vouchers also help reduce health issues among the homeless population. Housing vouchers are monetary vouchers that can be used to pay rent for housing. These vouchers act as financial aid for those who cannot completely afford a space to live. Homeless individuals are exposed to unsanitary living conditions that cause them to have increased health issues. These vouchers can further reduce health issues caused by unsanitary living spaces because these vouchers “reduce residents’ exposure to detrimental environmental conditions” (5). Although some may argue that homelessness cannot be solved by providing health care assistance, reinforcing what was stated previously, there is a link between health care and housing stability. Individuals who receive housing assistance improve their health status. Hence, providing housing assistance through housing vouchers and permanent housing programs can help significantly lower those health issues.  

Adequate housing is a human right. However, housing programs across the United States are chronically underfunded. Funds for such housing programs come from Congress through a system of annual monetary allotments. The issue with this funding system is that Congress sets these monetary allotments at “levels that limit the number of families that can receive assistance” (Bailey 5). Thus, once the annual funds run out, the rest of the families are forced to wait for assistance. Studies show that “75 percent of households eligible for federal rental assistance” do not end up receiving it or have to wait years before they receive assistance (5). With such long waiting times and an overwhelming number of families and older people needing assistance, local or state governments need to create better opportunities for their homeless populations. Despite this, some may argue that such assistance programs already have adequate funding. It is disputable, however, that with increasing rates of homelessness, there is a larger demand for housing assistance even though the supply has remained constant throughout the years. 

In conclusion, homelessness is a serious issue that needs to be addressed with celerity, especially among older homeless adults in the United States who need assistance with housing and health care. Possible solutions to this issue include increased access to health care through Medicaid, providing the homeless with housing assistance like housing vouchers and supportive housing, and lastly, solving the issue of underfunded housing programs. Additionally, states must also take initiatives to lower homelessness rates at a local scale by increasing funds and implementing better housing programs. These solutions must be implemented promptly in order to make a positive change on both a local and national level.

Works Cited

“Aging on the Streets: America’s Growing Older Homeless Population.” SC-UMT, Simmons

University, 30 Nov. 2022, 

https://online.simmons.edu/blog/aging-on-the-streets-americas-growing-older-homeless-pop

ulation/#:~:text=Home%20%2F%20Blog-,Aging%20on%20the%20Streets%3A%20Amer

ica’s%20Growing%20Older%20Homeless%20Population,of%20the%20nation’s%20homel

ess%20population.

Bailey, Peggy. “Housing and Health Partners Can Work Together to Close the Housing

Affordability Gap.” JSTOR, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 17 Jan. 2020,

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep23759.pdf.

Bharel, Monica., Lin, Wen-Chieh., Zhang, Jianying., O’Connell, Elizabeth., Taube, Robert.,  

Clark, Robin E. “Health Care Utilization Patterns of Homeless Individuals in Boston: 

Preparing for Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act.” American Journal of 

Public Health, vol. 103, no. S2, 2013, https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2013.301421.

Brown, Rebecca T., Goodman, Leah., Guzman, David., Tieu, Lina., Ponath, Claudia., Kushel, 

Margot B. “Pathways to Homelessness among Older Homeless Adults: Results

from the Hope Home Study.” PLOS ONE, vol. 11, no. 5, 2016,

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155065.

“HUD Releases 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report.” HUD.gov / U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 19 Dec. 2022,

https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_22_253.

Om, Phuntsho., Whitehead, Lisa., Vafeas, Caroline., Towell‐Barnard, Amanda. “A Qualitative 

Systematic Review on the Experiences of Homelessness among Older Adults.” BMC 

Geriatrics, vol. 22, no. 1, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-02978-9.