Shelters for unhoused people are seeing more and more seniors on fixed incomes. The reasons include the lack of affordable housing and the rising costs of rent 鈥� and of staying in their own homes.
The Kearney Center in Tallahassee has a capacity of 450. It had been averaging about 230 residents, but over the last six months it鈥檚 increased to 330. About 53 percent of the residents are aged 45 or older.
鈥淲e have right at 100 clients that are over the age of 65. So, that aging population that we鈥檙e seeing 鈥od bless 鈥榚m. This is not what they signed up for.鈥�
That鈥檚 Kearney Center Executive Director Sonya Wilson.
鈥淭hese are people that have worked their whole life," she says.
Wilson attributes their numbers in the shelter to the lack of affordable housing, sometimes to a disability, and the rise in property insurance and property taxes.
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鈥淭heir checks haven鈥檛 went up to sustain them in their housing that they currently have. So, they鈥檙e ending up here at the shelter 鈥� no fault of their own," she says. "But they simply can鈥檛 afford 鈥� whether it be the taxes and the insurance on a mortgage that puts them out or an apartment that the rent goes up 鈥� they can no longer sustain that. So, they find theirselves here鈥︹��
In South Florida, where housing is even harder to come by, Max Rothman is the president and CEO of the Alliance for Aging. He says living on a fixed income is a huge driver of seniors losing their housing.
鈥淲ell, undoubtedly, including some that aren鈥檛 on a fixed income, but that鈥檚 certainly a critical factor," Rothman says. "I think the cost of living has gone up dramatically鈥� inflation factor鈥ental health issues鈥he lack of affordable housing鈥ll of these things contribute to challenges.鈥�
Last year the Alliance for Aging received 1,784 calls to its Help Line specifically about housing.
鈥淎 lot of the ones that we hear 鈥� they got a rent increase and they can鈥檛 afford it,鈥� says Rothman.
At the same time, gentrification is driving people out of their long-time homes, he says.
鈥淲hen we talk about increasing costs, places like Little Haiti, Wynwood 鈥� they鈥檝e been going through gentrification. So that drives up the rentals and older people can鈥檛鈥imply can鈥檛 afford them.鈥�
Rothman says a second wave of baby boomers, born in the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties鈥�
鈥溾�ho are retiring or can鈥檛 work anymore for one reason or another, and they鈥檙e beginning to show up much, much more in our system," Rothman says. "What that suggests is that this problem isn鈥檛 going away in the short term. It鈥檚 been increasing for years, and I think we鈥檒l be experiencing it for some years to come.鈥�
According to the Florida Aging Statistics and Resource Guide, 27 percent of the state鈥檚 population is aged 60 or older. Thirteen percent of seniors aged 65 or older are living alone. The median household income for a Florida senior is $42,600. For non-seniors, that figure is nearly $68,000.
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