Miami Herald: Research by Prof. Byrne Illustrates Long-Term Causes of Homelessness Among Older Adults
As the percentage of people over 65 experiencing homelessness continues to rise, those living in states with large older populations like Florida struggle to access resources. Highlighting rising housing costs and other recent causes contributing to this trend, a Miami Herald story cites research by Prof. Thomas Byrne from BU School of Social Work that discusses historical factors affecting this population’s vulnerability to housing instability.
Excerpt from “‘Life Got Too Expensive’: Miami Seniors Are Increasingly Falling into Homelessness” by Max Klaver:
Beyond the dynamics of the current housing market, Thomas Byrne, a professor at Boston University School of Social Work who researches homelessness, noted that longer-term socioeconomic factors influence the rising number of older homeless people. According to Byrne’s research, those born between the mid-1950s and the mid-1960s — people who are now between 60 and 70 years old — disproportionately experience homelessness.
As they came of age, the younger Baby Boomers faced a storm of economic challenges. They weathered multiple recessions in their 20s and 30s — critical earning years. Wages didn’t keep pace with housing costs, which rose as post-World War II government subsidies for affordable housing faded. In the labor market, they were crowded out by both older and younger generations.
That demographic — 13% of Florida’s population — has been disproportionately represented in homeless counts, said Byrne, and is disproportionately vulnerable to falling into homelessness. Many in that age bracket have been stably housed their entire lives, Byrne noted. But rising costs combined with the threat of major health or economic shocks put them at ‘a really high risk of homelessness.’”