02 Dec California Takes Steps to Address Rising Homelessness Among Aging Adults

Michael John Wagon, then 79, was among the homeless Richmond residents given a sleeping bag on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2021. (Denis Perez-Bravo / The CC Pulse file)

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

The California Commission on Aging has published a Housing Policy Brief that offers recommendations for reducing housing insecurity and homelessness among older adults in California.

The brief summarizes a more in-depth report titled “Housing Those Hardest Hit: Addressing Older Adult Homelessness.” It also includes seven actionable recommendations to mitigate older adult homelessness in three settings: permanent housing, independent housing, and assisted living.

“Expanding housing capacity across all settings in the older adult continuum of care is critical as our state confronts the pressing issues of housing insecurity and homelessness among older adults,” stated CCoA Executive Director Karol Swartzlander.

“The need is urgent, and the time to act is now,” she emphasized.

The CCoA serves as the principal advocating body for older Californians, and it administers programs that support and celebrate Californians as they age. In addition, the CCoA advises the governor and Legislature, along with state, federal and local agencies on programs and services that affect older adults in the state.

From 2017 to 2022, the number of adults aged 55-64 who accessed homelessness services across California increased by over 90%, while the number of adults over 65 in the state, overall, increased by over 166% – exceeding any other age group, according to the report.

According to CCoa, the commission blends housing solutions within a comprehensive continuum of care, presenting policymakers with targeted strategies that accommodate the diverse housing and supportive service needs of older adults.

Efforts to address homelessness is now one of CCoA’s top priorities, says Swartzlander.

“The need is urgent, and the time to act is now,” she added.

In 1990, 11% of the homeless population was over the age of 50 while in 2023 older adults represented nearly half of the state’s homeless population. Among this population, 41% first experienced homelessness after the age of 50.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual Point-in-Time Count, 38,028 adults aged 55 and older experienced homelessness in California in 2023. Furthermore, the report stated that 41% first experienced homelessness after the age of 50.

Former Assemblymember Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino), who just completed a six-year term as chairperson of the CCoA, said there must be policies in place to “remedy the problem” of older adults becoming homeless in the state.

The lack of accessible and available housing, health-related behaviors, medical problems, social isolation, and limited resources are some of the root causes of homelessness and poverty among aging Californians. Speaking on own her behalf — not representing CCoA — Brown said more alternatives for affordable housing and services would provide a much-needed safety net for older adults in the state.

“We need to go back to square one and come up with some policies that would help older adults have options,” Brown said. “It’s a tragedy that these people have paid into the system (taxes, social security), and did it the right way, and they still need these services.”

In the policy brief, the CCoA presents seven recommendations to mitigate aging adult homelessness. They are exploring a statewide subsidy for older adults at-risk of homelessness; developing a state homeshare program; expanding ministerial approval for smaller assisted living facilities; reforming housing laws; expanding assisted living waivers; and funding community care suggestions.

For the last five years, homelessness among African Americans nationally and in California has seen a continued uptick. Black Californians are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness, according to the California Budget and Policy Center (Budget Center).

Black Californians roughly consist of 5% of the state’s population. However, they comprised over 1 in 4 unhoused people who made contact with a homelessness service provider during the 2021-22 fiscal year, according to the Budget Center’s “Who Is Experiencing Homeleness In California?” report.

“Long-standing racist policies and practices have also concentrated marginalized communities in undervalued occupations, increasing their economic insecurity which is a primary driver of experiencing homelessness,” the March 2023 Budget Center report stated. “We see this today as people of color are largely pushed into

lower-paying occupations, the first to lose their jobs during economic downturns, and experience the highest rates of unemployment.”

According to the 2020 Profile of African Americans Age 65 or Older, the African American population age 65 and older was 4,979,133 in 2019 and is projected to grow to 12.1 million by 2060. In 2019, slightly more than half (52%) of all older African Americans lived across eight states, with 304, 751 in California, according to the POAA report.

Overall, numerous factors contribute to the increase in older adult homelessness. Scattered employment, low-wage employment, and time serving as a family caregiver, result in low wages throughout significant working years.

“As state and federal policymakers consider choices that will affect California’s unhoused and vulnerable communities, it is important to understand the unique housing, economic, and health conditions older unhoused adults face,” the Budget Center reported. “By doing so, policymakers can act on proven policies and interventions that can help solve homelessness among older adults.”

Editorial Note: California Black Media will follow up this article with more investigations into the lived experiences of older adults impacted by the of homelessness and housing insecurity crisis in the state.