California’s Aging Homeless Crisis Is Dire — Our Government and Leaders Must Act

by Eli Veitzer

OPINION

More than 85,000 Californians over the age of 50 are homeless on any given night.

Nearly half of single homeless adults are aged 50 or older, and that percentage is increasing, with seniors now the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population.

An analysis of older adult homelessness just published by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative reveals that over 40% of homeless seniors first became homeless after the age of 50. For most of these individuals, the pathway to homelessness was very different than for those who first experienced homelessness at a younger age.

Many times, there was a catastrophic precipitating event, such as illness, disability, or death of a family member with whom they shared housing. The resulting loss or reduction of income left them unable to pay rent.

With very limited incomes and a woefully insufficient supply of low-income senior housing, they found themselves among the thousands of Los Angeles’ vulnerable elders struggling to stay housed.

At Jewish Family Service LA (JFSLA), with an array of services touching thousands of seniors across Los Angeles, we hear these heartbreaking stories every day. Thankfully, an innovative program called Home Safe has been helping to prevent many seniors and dependent adults in similar situations from becoming homeless.

Home Safe, funded by the State and administered by Los Angeles County in partnership with community nonprofits like JFSLA, has literally saved thousands of lives over the past five years.

Lenora is one such individual. Her downward spiral began with the development of severe, chronic medical conditions. She is barely able to walk and is unable to adequately care for herself. She lost her job. She is isolated, without a support network of family or close friends. Her apartment is classified by the city as “uninhabitable” and she has accrued significant rental arrears.

Through the interventions of JFSLA’s staff with the Home Safe Program, we have been able to stabilize Lenora’s situation and are on track to help her relocate to a safe and habitable housing unit.

Lenora was alone, in a terrible, precarious situation. Thanks to Home Safe, she is no longer facing these challenges on her own.

But Lenora’s story may not be the case for many others. Additional funding for the Home Safe Program is not included in Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal currently being debated in Sacramento.

Without future funding, the program will sunset over the next 12 months, leaving thousands of older and dependent adults without this lifeline.

I shudder to think of what would happen to Lenora without the Home Safe Program. And to William, Miriam, Anthony, Leandra, and the other individuals that JFSLA currently serves through the Home Safe Program.

There is an ancient Jewish teaching: Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved the entire world. The Home Safe Program is saving lives every day. It needs to stay fully funded.

All of our elders deserve to live in dignity and safety. We can, and must, do better.

Eli Veitzer is the President and CEO of Jewish Family Service LA.