4. 670,000 homeless in the US2 Source: National Alliance to End Homelessness and the City of Boston
5. % of Homeless Elders Has Tripled Since 1990 A third of Boston’s homeless adult shelter population is over 50 years old. 3 Source: Journal of Internal Medicine and the City of Boston
12. Other older life crises, such as the death of a spouseBed line at Woods-Mullen Shelter (April 2009) 5 Source: Hearth Outreach
13.
14. Hearth Outreach Focuses on Elders & Their Unique Needs Social Security Veteran’s Benefits Geriatric Health Care Medicaid/Medicare HEARTH OUTREACH OPERATING MODEL food income insurance health care mental health substance abuse financial assistance legal socialization stress management crisis services food income insurance health care mental health CONNECTION HOUSING SEARCH and CASE MANAGEMENT PLACEMENT and STABILIZATION Permanent elderly/disabled housing Connecting homeless elders Elder-specific supportive services Homeless Elders 50+ Safe, Affordable Permanent Housing 7
15. 1. Connection (~2 months) Four Outreach case managers visit 10 Boston shelter programs weekly Each case manager manages a caseload of ~50 individuals 8
16. 2. Housing Search and Customized Case Management (~14 months) Jane will edit and make less wordy. Words on this slide will become her talking points. 2. Housing Search and Customized Case Management Case managers help their clients navigate the housing application process Customized case management helps elders obtain needed social support services 9
17. 3. Placement and Stabilization (~6-8 months) Case managers assist clients with their move into housing They continue to check in regularly to make sure they have social services and community support 10
20. Over 96% of homeless elders placed in housing maintain their housing for at least a year, surpassing HUD’s benchmark retention rate of 71% over six months11
Elder homelessness has existed “under the radar” of many homelessness programs and funding sources. It is a complex problem with distinct challenges for which “traditional” approaches to ending homelessness such as job training and asset development are not applicable. Managing medications, maintaining a healthy diet, having regular access to physical and mental care, and developing social networks are just some of the elements of aging that are difficult for elders to manage when they don’t have a home. Think about all the things we do for our aging parents or grandparents, and imagine the people who are walking Boston’s streets, whom you might bump into, who (through no fault of their own) are not privileged enough to have safe homes or loving families. Here at Hearth, we work hard to ensure that homelessness is not the only outcome for elders with limited resources and personal difficulties.Hearth began as in 1991 as the committee to end elder homelessness. We run our own housing and supported services (7 sites, 136 units), but the main way to end elder homelessness is through outreach.