Tents under I-83 North Bridge in Baltimore City for people experiencing homelessness. File photo by Elizabeth Shwe.
Mission Possible founder James Roberts has noticed it, an increase in residents in their 60s and 70s seeking emergency housing at his homeless shelter in Baltimore.
“It’s kind of been that way for a few years now,” said Roberts, 78. “We do what we can to help them and to get them taken care of.”
State housing officials say that what Roberts is seeing is part of a statewide trend.
From 2018 to 2024, there was a 77% increase in adults aged 65 and older facing homelessness, according to new data reported by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. The numbers rose in that period from 677 to 1,199 people, a “concerning trend” according to Danielle Meister, assistant secretary of homeless solutions within the department.
“On it’s own, 77% is a large increase, but it is above and beyond any increases we’re seeing for other populations,” Meister said earlier this week. “So, it’s telling us that there’s a specific issue related to older adults that causing this disparity and this greater level of need.”