Opinion: The fastest growing houseless demographic is women aged 65 and up, which isn’t talked about enough in society.
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The houseless crisis has gotten out of hand in America over the past few decades. In January 2020, there were 580,466 individuals reported to be experiencing homelessness. This is approximately 0.176% of the total population.

Much of society associates the houseless community with mental illness and substance abuse. However, the fastest growing demographic is adults aged 65 and older. By 2030, the population is “anticipated to grow from 40,000 to 106,000,” nearly tripling in size, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. The most targeted in this group? Women.

After living comfortably a majority of their life, senior women are ending up on the streets. “You’ve got women where their partner, who was the breadwinner, has died, became disabled and unable to provide financially, or divorced. A loss of a partner in some way,” Michelle Hankes, CEO of Shelter Care located in Eugene, said. After losing their livelihood, senior women are unable to keep up with medical bills and housing.

Being houseless endangers senior women to issues at a higher rate than housed seniors. To start, they’re more prone to memory loss, falls and functional impairments compared to the general senior population. Those who experience homelessness may develop traumatic brain injury or severe persistent mental illness, according to Hankes.

Houseless senior women are also heavily targeted by dangerous predators. In the duration of six months, “11% of older homeless adults reported experiencing sexual or physical assault.” A lack of shelter and protection puts senior women at a higher risk of assault.

Ultimately, this houseless demographic ties back to the “traditional” family structure — the nuclear family. The core of the American dream. The father works a 9 to 5 blue-collar job. The stay-at-home mother cooks and cleans. And there are the two kids, Johnny and Mary. 

I have a lot of respect for stay-at-home parents; I was raised by one. It’s truly one of the toughest jobs to take on. However, the breadwinner and caretaker family structure isn’t realistic in today’s economic climate. The housing crisis continues to make living in the U.S. more and more impractical. Standard living no longer accommodates the working class.

So when these lifelong dependent wives lose their source of income, they’re left unsure on how to recover. They haven’t worked in 30+ years, inevitably putting them at a disadvantage in the workforce.

Some of the greatest advice I ever received growing up is to always be financially independent. Always have your own flow of income. Even with split assets, as a woman you always need a way out. It’s a sad reality. Yet no one should stay in a marriage because they are financially dependent on their partner.

The negative stigma and misunderstanding around the houseless community solely stems from fear. Fear that anyone can end up in their situation at any moment. So to say only the mentally ill make up the houseless community is based on pure ignorance. The houseless crisis is a much more complex problem that affects all types of people.