Older Adults’ Pathways Into – and Out of – Housing Insecurity and Homelessness

Adults 65 and older are the fastest-growing age group of people who experience homelessness, and those 50 and over who are experiencing homelessness often exhibit conditions associated with much older age such as memory loss, falls, and functional impairment. In this talk, Samara Scheckler, a research associate at the Center, will discuss new research on housing insecurity and homelessness for older adults in Boston. Drawing on both data and in-depth interviews with service providers, she will discuss the circumstances that contribute to housing insecurity and homelessness for older adults, how public programs and services can mitigate these risks, and how the design of programs can create barriers for older adults to receive support. Emily Cooper, chief housing officer for the MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs and a special advisor on housing at MassHealth and LaTanya Wright, director of outreach at Hearth, will join Scheckler in a conversation moderated by Howard Koh, the Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership.

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This event is the first in a series of university-wide events on housing and homelessness and is co-sponsored by the Initiative on Health and Homelessness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab based at Taubman Center for State and Local Government; and the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.