DATE:
February 8, 2022
13
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
Older adults are at the center of California's housing affordability and homelessness crisis. As the cost of housing continues to soar, many older Californians living on low and fixed incomes are being forced to choose between paying rent, eating, or buying medications. As a result, older adults represent the fastest growing age group of the people experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
Older Adults and Homelessness
The number of newly homeless in San Diego County doubled in 2020. According to San Diego's 2020 Point in Time Count, one out of four of San Diego's homeless adults is over the age of 55. Among this group of unsheltered older adults, 88% became homeless in San Diego County and 43% are experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives. There are 2,000 older adults that are actively homeless, and this number is projected to triple over the next decade. The number of adults aged 55 and over is projected to grow from 170,000 in 2017 to 225,000 by 2026, with the fastest growth among those 65 and over.
Furthermore, homelessness among older adults has disproportionately impacted communities of color. In San Diego, African Americans make up 4% of the general population, but nearly a quarter of the homeless population. According to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), Emergency Department Discharge Data, 62% of homeless individuals that are aged 55 or older that are discharged from the emergency department are persons of color and 17% of those individuals are African American. Since these alarming statistics have been collected in the last few years through the 2020 Regional Task Force on the Homeless, and 2019 State discharge and Serving Seniors data collection, homelessness and financial insecurity have continued to worsen as a result of economic effects o...
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