Homeless Shelters for Seniors Pop Up, Catering to Older Adults’ Medical Needs

(By Aaron Bolton, MTPR for KFF Health News)

SANDY, Utah — Just outside Salt Lake City sits an old, two-story, brick hotel. It’s been given new life as a homeless shelter for seniors. The Medically Vulnerable People shelter — or MVP shelter, as it’s known — is for people 62 and older or for younger adults with chronic health issues.

Residents share rooms designed to be accessible to those with mobility issues. There are also private bathrooms, which are a big deal for seniors struggling with incontinence.

Unlike the MVP, most homeless shelters aren’t equipped to help seniors, especially those 65 and older. They are the fastest-growing homeless population nationwide, according to Dennis Culhane, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Not only are people who struggle with chronic homelessness aging, but many seniors are becoming homeless for the first time in their lives. Continue reading here…

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit national health polity news service that is part of the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

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