Across the United States, homeless Continuums of Care are observing increasing rates of older adults experiencing homelessness. This brief examines these trends in Allegheny County, PA, where the share of the population age 65 and older is rising.
What is this report about?
In this brief, we looked at trends in older adults (age 65+) using emergency adult-only emergency shelters over the last decade (2015 through 2024), including their demographics, lengths of stay and exit destinations compared to other adults using shelter.
What are the takeaways?
- The number of older adults in shelter more than tripled between 2015 and 2024 (from 58 to 191 clients), but they still comprise a small percentage of the overall adult shelter population. In 2024, the proportion of older adults in shelter was 7%.
- From 2015 through 2024, 74% (N=611) of older adults using adult-only emergency shelter were men, but over the course of the decade, the share of older adult women using shelter has increased as the share of older adult men has decreased.
- Forty-two percent of older adults using shelter in 2024 were Black, indicating disparity even among older adults in poverty; in 2023, Black individuals made up 17% of older adults in poverty in Allegheny County.
- Since 2019, older adults exiting year-round emergency shelter stayed longer than adults age 18 through 64. However, older adults’ median length of stay has declined greatly after peaking in 2021.
- More than 60% of older adults had just a single stay in year-round shelter over the decade; about 3% stayed more than five times.
- Older adults were more likely than adults under age 65 to exit shelter to a housing unit with an ongoing subsidy, likely due to the higher number of specially designated federally assisted units available to these individuals.
How is this report being used?
This report provides insight into current and future housing support needs for older adults, information DHS can use to create new or enhance existing supports for older adults experiencing housing instability or homelessness.
Questions or Feedback?
We welcome your questions and suggestions. To share feedback, you can reach us at DHSResearch@alleghenycounty.us. If you’d like to stay informed, consider signing up for our newsletter. To learn how to use DHS data in your research, please visit our Requesting Data page. Thank you for your time and interest. Your engagement helps shape and improve how we share data that matters.