AAAs Support Housing Stability and Prevent Homelessness of Older Adults

Older adults represent the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness, often for the first time. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report shows that the share of older adults (age 65 and older) rose from 5.5 percent in 2019 to 7.4 percent in 2021. Individuals in the 55-64 age category also increased in those years, indicating a continual increase in older adults experiencing homelessness.

AAAs have always been deeply engaged in addressing the health-related social needs of older adults, and the lack of affordable and accessible housing is a growing issue facing older adults. In the latest National Survey of Area Agencies on Aging, 85 percent of AAAs reported that lack of affordable housing was a “major challenge” in their planning and service area (PSA) and 42 percent indicated that increasing homelessness of older adults was a major challenge in their PSA. Eighty-one percent of AAAs provide one or more housing or homelessness-related supportive services such as home modifications and repairs, housing location assistance, mitigating landlord/tenant issues, issues related to paying for housing, and more. Twenty-seven percent of AAAs reported that they were providing homelessness or eviction prevention services, and over 40 percent of AAAs indicated they would like additional training and TA to support older adults’ housing needs.  
 

USAging members identify homelessness as a major concern in your communities. USAging is elevating the issue nationally, including through this new blog post by CEO Sandy Markwood for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. In Older Adults and Homelessness: How Continuums of Care and Area Agencies on Aging Can Collaborate, Markwood calls for stronger coordination between AAAs and local Continuums of Care, which help people experiencing homelessness access housing and services, and the development of “aging-capable” homeless prevention and response systems. Read more. 

 

USAging developed the following homelessness prevention case examples featuring AAA programs and partnerships. Agencies can find inspiration and ideas to evolve their own work and partnerships to provide homelessness prevention assistance and housing-related supports for older adults and people with disabilities.

USAging thanks these AAAs for their contributions to the case examples.

If you would like to see your AAA homelessness prevention program or service featured as a case example, please contact research@usaging.org. 

Additional Homeless Prevention Resources