Nearly 140,000 American seniors were homeless last year. Gov’t. report shows hardships they face

WASHINGTON — A new government report is shining light on the barriers older Americans are facing while trying to find, and keep, affordable and stable housing.

The report comes after nearly 140,000 seniors were homeless on any given night in 2023.

Channel 2 Washington Correspondent Samantha Manning spoke to the U.S. Government Accountability Office to break down the impacts on America’s seniors caused by a lack of affordability.

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The growing aging population in the United States, and rising housing costs, have meant more older Americans are at risk of being homeless.

The report from the USGAO revealed what the challenges with access are to accessing affordable housing among adults 55 or older.

“Older adults are often on fixed incomes and they just don’t have the fund to pay for, you know, rising apartments and homes that have rising rents,” Alicia Puente Cackley, USGAO, said.

It’s an issue that the USGAO report said impacted about 138,000 seniors last year.

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The findings in the GAO report show that older adults often have mobility limitations, chronic conditions, or both.

For seniors living with those issues and experiencing homelessness, shelters aren’t always an option because many use things like bunk beds with tight spacing or have bathrooms with limited accessibility features.

The same accessibility concerns also apply to apartments and homes.

“Can you actually live in it is the other piece in it,” Puente Cackley said. “Whether there’s physical barriers to the home or you know, physical supports, that you need.”

The GAO report called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human SErvices to improve how it tracks progress and collects data about older Americans experiencing homelessness.

HHS said it agrees with the recommendations in the report and is now working on ways to improve its process for monitoring and responding to homelessness among seniors.

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