Understanding Homelessness Among Older Adults in New York City

Homelessness among older adults remains low relative to its prevalence in other age groups, but it is increasing. We conducted a mixed-method study to understand why. We interviewed 79 homeless adults aged 55 and over about disability; economic, human and social capital; and stressful life events prior to becoming homeless, and compared them to 61 older adults living in public housing. Just over half of the homeless group reported leading conventional lives with long periods of employment and residential stability through middle age, prior to becoming homeless. Human capital, social capital and life events were more important than disability or economic capital in predicting homelessness. The homeless adults were younger, more likely to be male and better educated than housed adults, but had shorter job tenure and fewer social ties. Homeless adults faced multiple, cascading risks, including job loss and housing loss, from which they were unable to recover.

Marybeth Shinn, PhD is Professor of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University. She studies how social settings influence individual well-being, and how settings can be modified to foster individual welfare. Because understanding and changing the characteristics of settings requires measuring them, she is also interested in techniques for ecological assessment. Current projects include a national experimental study comparing the success of different strategies to house homeless families, examination of targeting of homelessness prevention services in New York, and a study of characteristics of settings, including one in Portugal, that foster capabilities for individuals with mental illness. Two recent projects involved evaluation of the coverage of street counts, and a field experiment to determine whether rapid re-housing with transitional services fostered positive outcomes for children who were homeless with their families. Shinn is interested in using research to influence public policy. She has done collaborative studies with New York City's Department of Homeless Services, Human Resources Administration, and Department of Health. She has participated in State Policy Academies run by the Federal Interagency Council on Homelessness and served on research advisory panels for the New York City Department of Homeless Services and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, among others.

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