shelter partnership homeless older adults strategic plan

Shelter Partnership Homeless Older Adults Strategic Plan

www.shelterpartnership.org

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Shelter PartnershipHomeless Older Adults Strategic Plan

Goals:

• Assess needs

• Identify barriers

• Produce action plan

Overview


Product: A Strategic Plan to House Homeless Older Adults in Los Angeles

• Guides policy• Informs stakeholders• Stimulates development

Overview


Advisory Committee:

• Developers• Service providers• Professors• Government stakeholders• Formerly homeless older adults

Overview


• Best practices

• Literature

• Los Angeles data

Interview:

• Special needs developers

• Senior housing developers

• Government stakeholders

• Homeless older adults

Review:

Overview


Best Practices

Mission Creek, San Francisco Mercy Housingmercyhousing.org


Best Practices

Plaza Hotel, San Francisco Community Development Corporation

www.sfgov.org/site/moh


Best Practices

Potiker Family Senior Residence Senior Community Centers, San Diego

servingseniors.org


Best Practices

Euclid House, New York City West Side Federation for Senior

and Supportive Housingwww.wsfssh.org


Best Practices

Euclid House, New York City West Side Federation for Senior

and Supportive Housing


Woodstock Hotel, New York CityProject FINDprojectfind.org

Best Practices


• Population • Physical health• Mental health• Substance use• Gender • Age• Model solutions

Literature Review


Population:

• Large aging cohort• Boomers• Many risk factors• Population will double

Literature Review


Physical Health:

• Chronic health issues • Physical health of those 15 years older• Exacerbated by homelessness• Interrelated• Emergency rooms as primary care• Survivor effect

Literature Review


Mental Health:

• Far greater proportions than those

housed • 33% clinically depressed• Discharge often leads to homelessness

Literature Review


Literature Review

Substance Use:

• Over 50% with chronic alcohol problems• Drug use higher as those who started using

in 1960 reach old age• Adept at concealing


Gender:

• Female:male ratio 30:70• Women 1st homeless late in life • Women have more thought disturbances

& less depression• Women drink less• Women fear shelters more

Literature Review


Age:

• More likely to abuse alcohol• Stay in shelters longer• Take longer to move to permanent housing

Literature Review


Literature Review

Model Solutions:

• Affordable housing with services• HEARTH (most often cited)


Strategic Plan will include data from:

• LA Homeless Services Authority• LA County welfare agency• LA County Department of Mental Health• New Image Shelter

Los Angeles Data


• Largest Year-Round Shelter in Los Angeles County• Open from evening to morning• Two meals per day• Some services

New Image Shelter1500 clients 50 years and older

Los Angeles Data


• Age• Income

• Gender

• Disability

Los Angeles Data

New Image Shelter Client Self-Reported

• Education

• Duration homeless

• Reason Homeless

• Veterans


• Mean age 57 (Same for men and women)

• Median age 55 (Same for men and women)

• Youngest age 50• Oldest age 91

Los Angeles Data



Los Angeles Data

New Image Shelter

Time Homeless New Image50 years and older

1 day -

1 month34%

1 month -

6 months21%

7 months -

12 months7%

More than

12 months31%


Los Angeles Data

New Image Shelter & Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)

Time Homeless New Image LAHSA50 years and older All homeless

1 day -

1 month34% 10%

1 month -

6 months21% 28%

7 months -

12 months7% 10%

More than

12 months31% 15%


Los Angeles Data


None 33

SSI 18

Social Security 13

SSDI 6

SDI 1

County General Relief ($221) 18

Work 4

VA Pension 3

Other Pension 1

TANF/AFDC <1

Unemployment <1

Private Disability <1

Other 3

Percentages: Income Source at Entry

One third have income from Social Security, SSI, or disability insurance

Some clients have multiple sources


• Mean income $ 660• Median income $ 715• 51% 62+ get Social Security or SSI

Los Angeles Data

New Image Shelter: clients 50 years and older reporting income


Los Angeles Data

New Image Shelter clients 50 years and older reporting a disability

• Physical disability 62%• Mental disability 27%• Both disabilities 11%


Respondents

Respondent Type

Number of

RespondentsNumber of

UnitsNumber of Units

for Older Adults

Special Needs

Developer10 18,000

Senior Housing

Developer7 10,800 10,800

Developers’ Observations

2. No developer or housing provider targeted homeless older adults.



1. The number one barrier to creating permanent housing for homeless older adults is funding.

3. After an acclimation period of 6 months, previous homeless status was not a major distinguishing difference among tenants.

4. The common problems hampering successful long-term tenancies are:

Hoarding

Clutter

Anti-social behavior

Need for health services

Isolation

Denial

Inability to live alone



5. Regulations do not allow for tenants aging-in-place to keep their units when they have long-term stays in hospitals or convalescent facilities.

6. Small units, both one bedrooms and SROs, are too small to accommodate live-in aides and wheelchair accessibility for tenants aging-in-place.



7. The most important tenant service is case management/social work/RSC



8. Eligibility and Application updating processes prevented the homeless form securing housing.

Immediate response and change in policy:Menorah Housing Foundation










Homeless Older Adults Strategic Plan

Funded by

California Community Foundation

&Corporation for Supportive

Housing

Shelter Partnership

Los Angeles

For a copy of the Strategic Plan, to be released late 2007, email

Steve Renahan, Consultant

[email protected]

www.shelterpartnership.org

shelter partnership homeless older adults strategic plan

Documents