And why shelters aren’t the right fit for the aging population experiencing homelessness.
“It’s both a miracle and a blessing that I’m alive,” says Eugene Coleman, who’s 71 years old and spent over 15 of his adult years homeless. In 2008, Coleman, as he likes to be called, was one of the first to be housed in a pilot program by Roof Above, which continues to be the leading nonprofit for homelessness and housing in North Carolina.
November 13-21 is National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week and while there’s often a broad understanding of the issues in many cities struggling with affordable housing, the individual stories of those experiencing homelessness aren’t as acknowledged. This week is designed to change that.
One specific element of this issue that we hope to bring more awareness to is that many communities, like Charlotte, are seeing an increase in the number of people aged 55 and over who have lost housing and are experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives. According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “Older adults are the fastest-growing age group of those experiencing homelessness, composing nearly half of the homeless population and their numbers are estimated to triple by 2030.”
When Coleman was first housed as part of Roof Above’s trial housing program, he was the oldest participant at 56 years of age. Now that the population of older adults experiencing homelessness has been growing exponentially, Roof Above has to continue to innovate to meet increasing demand.
In 2020, Roof Above served 275 individuals who were 55+. In 2023, that number quadrupled to 835. Of that group, 73 were in their 70s, seven were in their 80s, and even one client was 91. While Roof Above has been creating permanent supportive housing for 15 years, this summer they began operating housing specifically designed for adults 60 and over. In a partnership with Mecklenburg County, they now operate a renovated motel to house seniors who have experienced homelessness. Over the summer, 28 individuals moved in and when renovations are complete, this new housing will become home to over one hundred seniors who have experienced homelessness.
Many of these new residents will have similar stories of how they lost their homes after years of stable employment and housing. Coleman’s own history bears this out: He once had a job, apartment, and car but in his early 40s, he was injured on the job at the carton factory where he was a supervisor. Coleman underwent spinal surgery to repair herniated discs but the botched procedure left him partially paralyzed. Unable to return to the factory that required physical labor, Coleman lost his job, which meant he had no income, so he eventually lost his home.
With no savings or safety net, Coleman became homeless and, worst of all, hopeless. Coleman admits his years on the streets included an addiction to painkillers for his back as well as drinking to numb his depression. Finally, after a 15-year downward spiral, a second chance with Roof Above’s permanent support housing program broke the cycle allowing Coleman to reclaim his life and remain successfully housed. In addition, Coleman was able to graduate from SABER, Roof Above’s 9-month substance abuse treatment program to break his addiction to painkillers.
Programs like Roof Above offer not only access to affordable housing but case management and other resources as well. For many that means help with applying for disability income, addiction treatment programs, and psychiatric and mental health programs. For others, it’s help with budgeting, food programs, or medication management. While the needs of individuals who experience homelessness might vary, the reasons they became unhoused typically have a shared theme.
A recent study by the University of California, San Francisco’s Benoit Homelessness and Housing Initiative explored the complexities of the homelessness that’s playing out across the United States. Published in June, the study was the most comprehensive in decades delving into California’s growing unhoused population and shedding light on some long-held myths about homelessness. The lead author of the study, Dr. Margot Kushel explained in a July Time Magazine article, “There is a ‘doom loop’ of homelessness, where people have jobs that don’t cover living expenses, so they lose their homes, and the resulting instability makes it harder to keep their jobs.”
Seniors on fixed incomes are confronting housing affordability issues with monthly checks that cannot keep pace with rapidly rising rents. Many seniors rely exclusively on their Social Security income, yet the average monthly check is only $1,435. If the conventional wisdom is to budget at most 30 percent of income for rent, many seniors can only afford to pay $430 monthly. But in booming places like Charlotte and other major cities, the average monthly rent for even a one-bedroom apartment is $1702.
Programs like the partnership between Roof Above and Mecklenburg County can be one solution to keep seniors from falling into the “doom loop” of homelessness and help bridge the income gap. Tenants living in the new program at the renovated motel pay 30 percent of their income toward rent. Typically this payment comes from fixed income sources such as disability payments or social security checks so the average rent payment from tenants in the program is currently around $300 per month. Liz Clasen Kelly, executive director of Roof Above says, “At the front doors of shelters, we’re seeing increased vulnerability of those in need of our services and we’re working to adapt our services and housing solutions to meet these growing needs.”
Since shelters were designed for short-term stays of 30, 60, or 90 days, they can be a temporary solution but not the long-term option needed for people 60+ experiencing homelessness. For those seniors with fixed incomes and limited ability to increase that income, a permanent supportive housing program with a 30 percent rent contribution is the lifeline they need to remain housed until they might begin end-of-life care.
Along with community partnerships to create supportive housing, many cities are putting creative initiatives on the ballot. Last week, voters in Boulder, Seattle, and Santa Fe weighed in on initiatives to fund affordable housing and Tacoma decided whether landlords could evict tenants in the winter months.
Coleman continues to be an inspiration and advocate to help others. He regularly volunteers not only mentoring new residents in his own permanent supportive housing community but also giving community talks. Recently, Coleman spoke to a group of law enforcement officers about the dangerous realities of life on the streets. He encouraged his audience to have compassion for the people surviving on the streets. “Remember, when you’re meeting them, that’s not [the most accurate representation of] who they are,” Coleman told the police officers. “This is who they became.”
On this National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, maybe we can all remember when we see someone holding a sign for help or sleeping in a doorway: This is not who they are, it’s who they became — often because of unexpected circumstances outside their control, like in Coleman’s case, a devastating back injury. It can be easy to make assumptions about how someone became homeless, but likely, their individual story is much more complicated than we imagine. And particularly for seniors, who might have spent a lifetime of stability, we just need to be willing to not look away.
Want to learn more about people experiencing and overcoming homelessness? Invisible People highlights new stories every week. Want to learn more about solutions? Visit the website of the National Alliance to End Homelessness
Kathy Izard is an award-winning author and speaker who helped bring transformation to Charlotte, NC in homelessness, housing, and mental health. Kathy wrote about meeting Coleman and building housing for those experiencing homelessness in her memoir The Hundred Story Home and an illustrated book for children based on Coleman’s true story A Good Night for Mr. Coleman. Kathy’s work has been featured on The TODAY Show.
