This is a Guest Post by Amber Paley who blogs about the elderly homeless and those in poverty, Amber also writes about nursing home abuse. The Homeless It is difficult for the government to get a definite count of the homeless in the United States. In order to get a general idea, the government does “single night counts.” In 2008, a single night count indicated 664,000 homeless people in the United States. It is unclear what percentage of people over 65 are homeless, but a 1996 Urban Institute study estimated that about 8 percent of the homeless are elderly; and in 2008, for every 1 elderly homeless person in a shelter, there were 22 severely impoverished elderly people. The Impoverished In 2008, there were 39.8 million people living below the poverty level in the United States, and 3.7 million (9.7 percent) of those were elderly. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), Among this growing population of older adults living in poverty are people forced to grow old in the streets and in shelters, elderly persons who have recently become homeless or who remain at constant risk of losing housing. The number of elderly adults who have become homeless has increased around the county. An example of this increase has occurred in Massachusetts, where from 1999 to 2002, the number of people over 55 using shelters increased by 60% (HEARTH, 2007). Causes of Elderly Homelessness Elderly population is growing. Every year, another group of Babyboomers become senior citizens. High medical bills. Housing issues: Wait lists for affordable elderly care facilities and housing. Social Security benefits are not sufficient for housing costs. Affordable housing is less available as the elderly population grows. Living alone. Poor money management during retirement. Poverty. Some people are unaware of the help they can receive through public assistance. Even if they are aware, the application process is arduous, and therefore difficult for elderly homeless people to complete without assistance. Substance abuse. Uncared for psychological problems. Retirement means that the elderly have no source of income. A Rough Life Homeless elderly people are more likely to: Be ignored by law enforcement. Be victimized. Have generally worse health. Suffer from ailments such as dementia and depression. As people age, they need more care than they did when they were younger. A few effects of aging stated by the Mayo Clinic are: Bones: Lose density and are more likely to break and fracture. Muscles: Suffer deterioration; people become less strong and able to perform everyday tasks. The heart: The muscle becomes less efficient and must work harder to adjust to stiffened arteries. The simple fact is that the elderly already suffer from health strains whether they are homeless or not; living outside puts excessive strain not only on the human body, but on existing medical conditions. It is obvious that the elderly who are homeless not only have a lower quality of life, but obviously have lower life expectancies. A Bleak Outlook As the Babyboomer generation begins to make up the elderly population, solving the problem of impoverished and homeless elderly persons does not seem likely if things remain unchanged. The National Alliance to End Homelessness released a report that is based on current federal housing and service programs, i.e. Social Security, Medicare, etc., for the elderly homeless population; according to that report, by 2020 the population of elderly homeless people will increase by 33 percent, and by 2050, the population will double. Note: All research was collected using The National Alliance to End Homelessness, Mayo Clinic, The National Coalition for the Homeless, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs. Photo by Mark L Edwards