More Seniors Are Living in Cars

The Golden Years should be a time for Bingo, Bunco, and water aerobics. But sadly, a growing number of senior citizens are living out their Golden Years in RVs and truck cabs, homeless. Talk about a real loss of dignity.

Gene Sargent is among the increasing homeless senior citizen population. He lives out of his truck cab and tows all of his worldly belongings in a trailer. His story, highlighted today in the Seattle Times, is a heartbreaking snapshot of a growing phenomena. According to the Times:

"The homeless population is graying along with the general population, and we're seeing more elderly people living out their final ... years on the streets," said Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

A King County/city of Seattle study released in February predicted the number of poor seniors will double by 2025, said Stephen Norman, executive director of the King County Housing Authority. (...)

Federal guidelines say people aren't truly homeless if they can afford vehicles.But, "in our view, someone in an RV who is moving place to place ... is homeless," said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

Homelessness, advocates say, often happens in steps.

"People who have never experienced homelessness before first downsize and move to cheaper accommodations," Stoops said. "That only lasts for a while. Then they turn to family and friends and when that runs out, cheap motels. Then they'll stay in cars or RVs. Their worst nightmare is having to knock on a shelter door and be considered homeless. But the reality is the shelters are full and we're not taking reservations."

The thing that saddens me the most about this trend is the toll that being homeless may take on a person's pride. I imagine this multiplies when one becomes homeless much later in life. For these folks, living in a car is bad enough, so reaching out for assistance is often out of the question. This is unfortunate on several fronts: for one, they don't receive potentially life-saving services. But second, they fly under the radar. Nobody knows they exist.

So what do you think: how many homeless seniors are out there? And when do you think this unacceptable trend will reverse?

[Photo from the Seattle Times: Gene Sargent, 65, lives in his pickup - with his belongings in a trailer - and parks in several locations, such as department-store parking lots and side streets, until asked to move by police or store managers. He lives on a monthly Social Security check of less than $700.]