“We talk about behavioral health, but I’m not sure if that really captures the confusion a lot of people live in and the feeling of being disconnected,” Gasco said. “So, we’re starting to band together and help each other.”
Supportive housing seeks to address those challenges by pairing permanent housing with services tailored to residents’ needs. For older adults, those services may include help managing medications, accessing healthcare, arranging transportation and coordinating long-term care.
But advocates say California does not have enough supportive housing options available for older adults as the state combats a broader homelessness crisis that is the worst in the United States.
Black Californians are disproportionately represented in California’s aging homelessness population, because of longstanding disparities in housing, income, health, and wealth, experts say. According to the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative’s California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness, Black Californians make up 31% of older adults experiencing homelessness, despite representing only about 6% of Californians age 50 and older.
Janelle Kazarus, CEO of El Hogar Community Services in Sacramento, told commissioners that many older adults fall into a gap between independent housing and institutional care.
“They require a level of support that falls somewhere between independent living and institutional care,” Kazarus said. “The middle ground is missing.”
Kazarus said her organization frequently works with older adults who are ready to transition into permanent housing but remain in shelters, hospitals, transitional housing or other temporary settings because appropriate options are unavailable.
“For older adults, behavioral health needs, housing is often the intervention that determines whether recovery is possible,” Kazarussaid. “We can stabilize symptoms, connect individuals to treatment, provide intensive case management and build trusting relationships. But without stable housing, those gains are difficult to sustain.”
Older adults experiencing homelessness also face barriers that younger people may not encounter. According to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, housing discrimination, limited income and age-related health conditions can all make securing permanent housing more difficult.