Older adults represent the fastest growing age group of the homeless population in California. * Nearly half of all homeless people in the United States are 50 or older, and nearly half of them became homeless for the first time after age 50
A higher proportion of California’s older renters spend an oversized share of their income on rent than the population as a whole. California’s senior renters are more likely to be rental cost-burdened because they have lower incomes than the population overall. Additionally, as older renters age ,they face an increased likelihood that they have depleted their savings or lost a spouse, resulting in older renter households age 75+ facing even higher cost burdens than households age 62+.
Seniors trying to afford rent on their social security income (SSI) are in dire financial straits. In 2020, the maximum SSI grant in California for one person living alone was $944/month. The fair market value of a studio apartment in all 58 California counties was more than 50% of the SSI grant, and in 22 counties, it exceeded the maximum SSI grant.
There’s a better way. The solution is in our downtowns and residential homes. ADUs and commercial conversion are fast, affordable, accessible, profitable and help us build our communities and take care of others.
To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors. – Tia Walker
*https://justiceinaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CA-Older-Renters-Fact-Sheet.pdf
