| According to recent estimates, there are over 75,000 homeless elders in the U.S. today (Cunningham & Henry, 2007). Such numbers represent the failure of the aging and homeless service systems to meet the needs of the most vulnerable older adults in our communities. Further, the housing and aging literatures have paid little attention to elder homelessness (Gonyea et al., 2010). This study addresses a critical gap by bringing forth the voices of those on the frontlines to explore how older adults experiencing homelessness and their outreach workers define and mitigate problems associated with urban elder homelessness. Grounded in theories regarding the social construction of social problems, and informed by theories of homelessness, this qualitative study utilized a constructionist, phenomenological approach. A series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted over the course of one year with 20 older adults experiencing homelessness and 6 outreach workers in Boston, Massachusetts. Interviews focused on perceptions of elder homelessness, its causes, and potential solutions. Data was analyzed using an inductive, interpretive, and iterative process.;Elder homelessness was described by both older adults and outreach workers not as a single problem or solely as a lack of physical shelter, but as a process involving the accumulation or saturation of multiple challenges and disadvantages. Participants constructed diverse pathways through homelessness weaving combinations of structural-economic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors. A dominant theme was how the fraying of social resources, often the loss of family and friends, increased elders' vulnerabilities. A high degree of congruence was found between the two groups; however, older adults more often highlighted personal factors while outreach workers emphasized the role of systemic factors in pathways through elder homelessness. Study findings illuminate the contributions of a social construction perspective to understanding and resolving elder homelessness and suggest the utilization of a tripartite model for understanding and intervening along the pathways through elder homelessness. This study underscores the need for a comprehensive, coordinated policy response to address older adults' housing, economic, health and social support needs and strengthen the safety net toward the prevention and resolution of elder homelessness. |
