Pathways to Homelessness Among Older Homeless Adults: Results from the HOPE HOME Study

Little is known about pathways to homelessness among older adults. We identified life course experiences associated with earlier versus later onset of homelessness in older homeless adults and examined current health and functional status by age at first homelessness. We interviewed 350 homeless adults, aged 50 and older, recruited via population-based sampling. Over the past 25 years, the average age of single adults experiencing homelessness has increased. Today, approximately half of single homeless adults are aged 50 and older, compared to 11% in 1990. Recent evidence suggests that this trend is due to a cohort effect: individuals born in the second half of the baby boom (1954–1963) have had an elevated risk of homelessness throughout their lives, and are now aged 50 and older.