Homeless senior[/caption]Carol Forsloff - Before 1960’s poverty programs and the introduction of Medicare, most seniors lived in poverty. The prosperity of the later years, however, brought the bulk of seniors into solid middle class, so many people entered their golden years with high hopes for their retirement. But as the gap between rich and poor have widened following the recent economic downturn, homelessness is increasing among seniors.
In Massachusetts homelessness among seniors has increased 60%. But experts maintain that the concerns for the elderly should include those who are standing at the door of aging, those over age 50, many of whom have no safety nets like Medicare and Social Security. These individuals are particularly vulnerable to homelessness.
The younger elderly poor, without the help of federal programs, end up with deteriorated health and well-being from lack of proper nutrition and difficult living conditions. A report to the Congress reveals that 30.6% of those staying in emergency shelters more than 180 days are over age 50. The rate of homelessness among seniors is growing at such a rate, that experts report a potential increase of 30% in the next eight years.
These at-risk individuals will likely put additional pressure on social programs throughout the United States. Healthy seniors lose that good health when faced with poor food and homelessness. This is of particular concern when examining proposals of eliminating Medicare for the new elderly in the coming years, as has been proposed by some of the conservative politicians in Congress.
Aging and Independent Services of San Diego offers transitional housing for its seniors and has found 90% of those the organization has helped have been able to move into permanent housing. It is the cost of rent across the country that remains a significant barrier to finding affordable housing.
While the talk of immigration, the economy and the threat from Iran remain hot topics for political debates, the rising problem of homelessness needs to be addressed, experts tell us, as not to do so, or to withdraw existing programs, will create an even bigger problem in future years.