Why Unhoused Seniors Are a Growing Group

If you think of Los Angeles County's homeless population as people struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues, you're not entirely wrong, but that picture fails to tell the full story. Seniors represent the fastest-growing group among the unhoused, per Cal Matters, but it's not just that homeless people are aging. Late baby boomers, who grew up with low wages, high unemployment, and limited retirement opportunities, are facing financial setbacks that force them from their homes at the time of life when health problems often appear—health problems only exacerbated by living outside.

The Guardian obtained death reports showing that more than 3,000 (26%) of the 11,500 people who died while unhoused in Los Angeles County between 2014 and 2023 were 60 and older, while 221 were 75 and older. About half of those deaths were from natural causes. There are more than 75,000 unhoused people across the county, according to a January count. The number of homeless people aged 55 and older is expected to peak next year at 36,045, the Los Angeles Times editorial board wrote in June, citing a recent study finding 48% of single homeless adults in California are 50 or older and 41% experienced homelessness for the first time after 50.

"Members of this age cohort entered the prime of adulthood as Reagan-era policies slashed federal support for affordable housing. They also entered the workforce amid a decline in union participation—leaving many low-wage workers without employment protections or pensions," Dr. Margot Kushel, director of UC San Francisco's homelessness and housing initiative, wrote in US News & World Report in April. Meanwhile, "high rates of incarceration of men, particularly Black men, increased their risk of homelessness." The Times board called for more permanent housing because "older homeless people in bad health and unable to work are running out of time." Kushel noted, "Moral societies do not compel older adults to spend their last years on the street." (More homeless stories.)