Trend report: homelessness rises 80% among older people

This trend is set to continue as the population ages, with the number of over-80s set to grow most rapidly, according to research by homelessness charity Crisis published in August.

The report found that older people were disproportionately at risk of being unable to afford housing because many are living on fixed incomes from pensions and tend to spend more on energy bills than younger age groups.

While the main drivers of homelessness – housing costs, rising rents, family breakdown and eviction, shortfalls between housing benefit and rent, precarious employment and increasing numbers of people living in private rented accommodation – affect all age groups, there are factors that have a greater impact on older people.

A spokesperson for Crisis says age discrimination in the labour market, health issues, isolation and pensions that do not rise in line with energy costs particularly affect older people.

A report in 2004 by the Coalition on Older Homelessness found additional factors that particularly affected older people included having a limited support network, mental health problems including dementia, limited literacy or numeracy, or reduced confidence in coping with bills (particularly if they had previously been handled by a partner who had since died), a mild to moderate learning disability unknown to services, and loss of social networks.

Sophie Boobis, head of policy and research at Homeless Link, says a big driver of the rise in homelessness among these age groups is more older people living in rented and insecure accommodation. 

Older people are also sometimes discriminated against in the private rented sector, according to research by Age UK.

She adds that homelessness services are often not set up for older people and are not well connected to older people’s services. “People fall through the gaps and [homelessness] prevention opportunities are missed,” she adds.

Homelessness also has a particularly big impact on the health of older people. “We know homelessness drives early onset frailty in younger people,” she says.

So homelessness would have an even greater impact on the health of older people, who might already be experiencing age-related frailty. “This will have huge impact on health and social care systems and supported housing,” Ms Boobis adds.

Several factors look set to increase the risk of homelessness among older people. Pensions provision is likely to be poorer among future groups of older people as defined benefit schemes close and workplace pension provision worsens. Similarly, the triple lock exists now for the state pension, but will it continue?

“Pensions are a ticking timebomb in terms of old-age poverty, especially if you add the growing number of people in their 40s and 50s in the private rented sector,” Ms Boobis says. “It is a potential area of significant concern in terms of older homelessness.”