Aging on the Streets: Why Older Adults in Portland Are Facing a Hidden Crisis
By Emma Fleming | August 2025
When talking about the unhoused, people generally picture those who are young and middle aged. Even with the number of unhoused seniors rising quickly, they are not the immediate face people imagine. They are people who have worked, raised families, and now find themselves trying to survive without a stable place to live and sleep. Our local shelters prioritize beds for people 55 plus because of the vulnerability they have, which rises sharply with age.
This isn’t only an issue within Portland, it’s a national shift researchers are calling the “graying of homelessness.” Studies show adults 50 plus are a large portion of the unhoused. Many people lose housing, for the first time, after 50 due to health, rent, eviction, or the death of a partner. Older adults experiencing houselessness also age faster. This is due to their living in the elements and lacking access to healthcare.
Why older adults are at higher risk
Fixed incomes are very limiting. The only cover necessities, maybe a bill or two, and possibly a meal. A single ER visit or hospital stay can unravel a tight budget. Once someone is outside, chronic conditions worsen, mobility declines, and sleep becomes fragmented. These things make it even harder to navigate waitlists, paperwork, and appointments.
Health researchers have been sounding the alarm saying older adults experiencing homelessness have higher rates of diabetes, heart and lung disease, cognitive impairment, and depression. They also use emergency and inpatient care far more often. Without support and follow through, mortality rates increase. Rising mortality rates are something Multnomah County has seen a dramatic rise in among people experiencing houselessness.
What dignity looks like in practice
Dignity for an older adult is found in providing necessities. These means a quiet safe place to sleep, a shower without stairs, someone who can help refill medications, and a caseworker who is patient. Portland has groups which can assist with these issues:
Northwest Pilot Project (NWPP) focuses on finding and maintaining rentals for unhoused seniors in Multnomah County. Their assistance helps prevent elders from experiencing continued crises.
Portland Street Medicine meets people where they are. Whether they meet under bridges or in camps, they go to provide medical care and make connections to mental health/addiction services. For older adults with mobility limits or trauma histories, that’s often the only doorway that feels safe enough to enter.
Transition Projects operates hundreds of shelter beds and support services. Their listings show priority for folks who are 55 plus, those who are disabled, and for veterans.
What would help—now
From a public-health perspective, the fixes aren’t mysterious; they’re just under-scaled:
Senior focused low-barrier shelters (fewer stairs, grab bars, quiet hours, on-site nursing).Portland is testing housing which is age and disability focused, prioritizing adults 45 plus.
Mobile, trauma-informed healthcare that integrates refills, wound care, behavioral health, and benefits going where people actually live. We need to meet them where they are at.
Targeted prevention & rapid rehousing for 55 plus, would include rent subsidies and eviction defense through organizations like NWPP. It’s a cheaper and more compassionate way to house folks instead of waiting for a crisis to force shelter.
Why this matters
If we don’t act, researchers project a continuing surge in older-adult homelessness. With this increase, we will see more avoidable hospitalizations, nursing-home placements, and deaths. The moral case is obvious; the economic case is, too: supportive housing and senior-tailored services reduce costly ER and inpatient use.
Older adults sleeping outside is not inevitable. They’re our neighbors, and many people are one rent increase away from losing everything. Meeting their basic needs like a calm shelter, healthcare, and affordable housing makes for a community that takes dignity seriously at every age.
Local resources & ways to help
Northwest Pilot Project (seniors 55 plus) – rental assistance, housing navigation.
Portland Street Medicine – volunteer, donate, or refer someone for mobile care.
Transition Projects – shelter access & housing support; see county list for age-priority sites.
References
Byrne, T., Culhane, D., Doran, K., Johns, E., Kuhn, R., Metraux, S., & Schretzman, M. (2019). The emerging crisis of aged homelessness. Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy. https://aisp.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Emerging-Crisis-of-Aged-Homelessness.pdf
Culhane, D. P., & Metraux, S. (2013). The Age Structure of Contemporary Homelessness: Evidence and Implications for Public Policy. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. https://nchv.org/images/uploads/The_Age_Structure_of_Contemporary_Homelessness_WEB.pdf
Kushel, M., & Moore, T. (2023). Toward a new understanding: The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness. UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2023-06/CASPEH_Report_62023.pdf
Espinoza, M., Moore, T., Adhiningrat, S., Perry, E., & Kushel, M. (2024). Toward Dignity: Understanding older adult homelessness in the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness. UCSF Benioff Homelessness & Housing Initiative. https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2024-05/Older%20Adult%20Homelessness%20Report%2005.2024.pdf
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2024, March 18). Nearly one in four people experiencing homelessness were over age 55. OPB: Think Out Loud. https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/18/think-out-loud-multnomah-county-older-adult-housing-instability/
Oregon Public Broadcasting. (2025, June 17). In Multnomah County, homeless deaths are on the rise. OPB: Think Out Loud. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/17/think-out-loud-multnomah-county-homeless-deaths-rise-data/
Street Roots. (2024, January 3). Falling through the net: Aged homelessness in Oregon. Street Roots. https://www.streetroots.org/news/2024/01/03/falling-through-net-aged-homelessness-oregon
No comments:
Post a Comment