The Bay Area’s housing crisis has a new, heartbreaking face: seniors struggling to survive on the streets. As capitalism continues to chew up and spit out our most vulnerable populations, older adults are finding themselves without shelter, support, or dignity.

The Cruel Math of Survival

Nearly half of single homeless adults in California are over 50, and many are experiencing homelessness for the first time. This isn’t just a statistic - it’s a devastating indictment of our economic system. Fixed incomes, skyrocketing living costs, and disappearing social safety nets are pushing seniors into precarious living situations.

Systemic Failures, Individual Struggles

Veterans, caregivers, and working-class folks who spent decades contributing to society are now being discarded like disposable products. The transition from a manufacturing to a service economy has left countless individuals without stable housing options. Our capitalist system treats housing as a commodity, not a basic human right.

What Can We Do?

Local experts suggest concrete solutions: increase affordable housing bonds, support land trust housing models, and implement temporary taxes on billionaires. But more importantly, we need a fundamental shift in how we view community, compassion, and the inherent worth of every human being.

Until we recognize that throwing away our elderly is a moral failure, we’re complicit in a system that prioritizes profit over people.