The Hearth Outreach Program

The Need

Elders are a vulnerable, but often overlooked, segment of the homeless population. Homeless elders often have physical, mental, social, and emotional problems that compound financial troubles and contribute to chronic homelessness.

• There are over 670,000 homeless people at any given time in the United States, including 15,000 in Massachusetts and 3,800 in Boston. About 33% of Boston's homeless adult shelter population is over 50 years old.
   


• In Boston, the annual median housing costs are $16,000, while the annual median income for a single elder is only $13,000. One in five elders in Boston lives below the poverty line.

 
• 32% of U.S. retirees have less than $10,000 in savings. With little or no safety net, a health crisis or other problem can compound financial difficulties and lead to chronic elder homelessness.

 
• Across the United States, in five different major metropolitan areas, the percentage of the homeless population over the age of 50 has tripled from 11% to 32% since 1990, and the percentage continues to climb.