St. Mary’s Center Story Featured in Shelterforce
Read about Renee H., who “turned to St. Mary’s Center, a local community center that serves seniors who are at risk of homelessness. The center provides transitional housing, counseling services, and other supports.
Hayes’s story isn’t particularly uncommon for St. Mary’s, which is seeing more and more seniors coming through its doors for the same reason. “Every person who becomes unhoused has their own set of reasons and contributing forces and factors, but poverty and high housing costs are the key contributing factors these days,” says Sharon Cornu, executive director of St. Mary’s Center.
Adults aged 50 and older make up half of the country’s homeless population, and they’re the fastest-growing age demographic experiencing homelessness. By 2030, their number is expected to triple.
From its vantage point serving the West Oakland community for over 30 years, St. Mary’s has seen this “silver tsunami” of older adults experiencing homelessness coming for a while now. And for as long as it’s been around, the center has acted as a rare meeting point between aging and homelessness services in the community—two care systems that were never designed to meet in the middle.”
Pictured: Seniors at Presentation House, a St. Mary’s Center transitional house