Homelessness is brutal. When you’re in your twenties, and maybe your thirties you can deal with homelessness a little better. Afterall, you know that you’re passing through. When aging becomes a factor and/or having a chronic disability to manage; that saps the life out of you. Functioning in a homeless shelter takes a toll on you. More so when it's elderly people.
You’re older, and you may not have the stamina and fight left in you to deal with the personalities, rules of shelters, and having to be out on the street each morning. I am talking super early. If you’re; limited in physical mobility, you probably would hang out at the library all day or ride different public transportation routes to kill time before having to return to the shelter.
However, there are some emergency housing assistance for disabled people. That are day part stations for people needing this type of service. The elderly and disable would benefit from this type of protocol.
Image - Someone's mother, daughter, sister, aunt --
In my quest for trying to find some solutions for low-income senior housing. Here are a few senior housing options that could be beneficial to you.
Contact a HUD approved housing counselor if you have questions about their housing for seniors.
- The National Institute on Aging (NIA) provides contact information for groups that have information for or help older people. You may contact the NIA by email or call (1-800-222-2225) or TTY (1-800-222-4225).
- National Council on Aging (NCOA): Housing Options & Resources: NCOA provides information to help older adults with housing questions, including information on reverse mortgages.
Transitional housing is another option. It is an alternative to emergency shelters, and it provides more of a permanent environment until other options are available. I love this option because some nonprofit transitional housing programs offer apartment like living arrangements. Some with your own private bath and fully furnished. A big plus. The length of time for staying is up to two years and this program teaches life skills training, recovery support option, etc. Something our group is keen on.
Supportive housing is permanent housing with services in place to help people over the long-term.
For those living with addictions or some form of mental illness—the environment will be more structured. Oftentimes supportive housing is a safe haven environment, group home, subsidized senior apartments, rented room in a boarding house, or shared living arrangement, assisted living facility, or a nursing home as a final option.
Living on the streets as a Homeless Senior...
Take the case of, when I travel toward my home after work, I see a mature age woman sitting at a bus stop. I have seen her many times at different places. She looks to be in her middle sixties or older. She’s 5’8 or 5’9, a June Cleaver look alike with the exception, she is a brunette. Her gracefulness tells me, her learned pose and ladylike character was instilled during an era long ago. She doesn’t dress revealing, or provocative. Which I have seen in some women that are living the street life. Instead her quiet demeanor speaks volume about her character. Recently, as I was turning the corner near a strip shopping mall to go home. There she was, sitting at the corner of the building. Seconds before arriving at the strip mall corner, I noticed a shopping cart filled with stuff. What caught my attention is that the items in the cart were many.
Packed vertically, towering 12 feet in the air, like a Christmas tree sprouting toward the moon. Upon first observation, I thought…Wow, that’s a lot of stuff. It looked odd and out of place. Usually, when I see a homeless person carrying around their things in a shopping cart. It’s full but not this full. Nor this high. So, when I turned the corner, there she was sitting.
I knew that the shopping cart belonged to her. That imaged stayed with me for a while. My thoughts are, how is she maneuvering with pushing a cart filled with so many things. Where does she go throughout the day and at night? Where does she sleep? Shower and take care of her personal hygiene. From my ministry of working with the homeless, I know that some chronic homeless people won’t go into a shelter. Some refuse to follow the shelter rules, some are ridden with guilt about their life. Things they’re ashamed of. As a last recourse, they make do, the best way they can.
Some sleep under bridges, crawling up into the caveat (that little area/spot where they can’t be seen). They are literally underneath the bridge and have made a makeshift bed. Out of cardboard boxes, some with blankets and a pillow. During the day, some cleanup in nearby fast food restaurant bathrooms. I could be wrong, but I don’t see this woman as the type that would cleanup in a restaurant bathroom.
But I learned years ago, don’t say never because you don’t know what you would do when a situation hit. You could have the best intentions. Yet when a circumstance speaks to your wellbeing, you will make decisions that, you wouldn’t ordinarily make. That’s just life.
Well, a few thoughts, that come to mind about this dear lady are…
What happened in her life?
Is there a mental or substance abuse issue going on?
Is she a victim of domestic violence?
Is she divorced, separated, never married or widowed?
Is she a mom, grandmother or without children?
What was her life occupation before now?
Was she a homemaker at one time?
As a person ages, they most assuredly need their own sense of space. Your life has been spent battling certain events, raising children (some of us), working, or dealing with a disability. Your physical demeanor becomes more fragile. Your skin thins and you’re more susceptible to falls and bruises that may not heal so quickly. If you're placed out in the elements every day and don't have a space to heal and relax. This causes an extra hardship for those with disabilities and ailments.
Having your own tiny space creates, peace, comfort, and stability for your mental being. If you don’t want to be bother with anyone on a particular day. You can close your door or not answer your phone. Sometimes, it helps to get away from it all and allow our mind to rest and rejuvenate. So, here’s my final thought on housing for seniors on social security.
Another community project to inquire of is the – Rapid Rehousing Project
"Rapid rehousing helps people move from emergency/transitional shelter or on the street into stable housing as fast as possible. It also connects people with supportive, community-based resources that help them maintain housing,” according to a Samhsa.gov article.
If you know of a senior or someone who is disable, please check out these resources to see if they may be a viable option for their situation at hand.
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