The Aging Homeless Population: Our Elders Are Our Responsibility

The percentage of older homeless adults in the US is growing at an alarming rate. In 2018, 36% of the Berkeley Food and Housing Project clients were over the age of 55. The increase is, in part, due to the aging of the existing homeless population, in parallel with the aging of the general population, but more seniors are also falling into homelessness due to the increasing cost of living in the Bay Area, San Francisco. A recent study conducted in Oakland found that nearly half of participants experienced their first episode of homelessness at age 50 or older.