The Miami-Dade Homeless Trust hosted its annual Homeless Awareness Day on Friday, with its signature event — The Sprint for Seniors Bed Race — dedicated entirely to helping elderly residents facing homelessness.
During Homeless Awareness Day, there were a variety of events. More than 900 students participated in the Homeless Awareness Day Rally at St. Thomas University in Miami. The Sprint for Seniors Bed Race alone raised a total of $20,000.
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The trust has a focus on older adults because those 55 and older make up the majority of the homeless population in Miami-Dade County.
“When you use the age 55, many people would say, ‘Well, that's not really a senior citizen,’" the CEO of the Homeless Trust Ron Book told WLRN. “I remind people always that the average homeless person has a life expectancy of 13 to 17 fewer years than you and I. So it is defined as individuals over the age of 55.”
Older adults are now the largest group in Miami’s homeless population. According to the Homeless Trust, one in four people without a home in Miami-Dade is 55 or older. In August, volunteers counted close to 1,300 homeless individuals, and more than 600 were 65 or older.
Book said there has been a spike in the past six years in the senior population when it comes to those who experience homelessness and/or use shelter services.
“ That population has continued to grow in exponential ways, which is why we have such an emphasis on sheltering and housing senior citizens in our community,” he said. Book said the increase is attributable to a loss of fixed-income housing and the expensive rental market in the area.
In recent years, the Homeless Trust has opened multiple shelters dedicated to the senior population like Mia Casa in North Miami. The trust recently acquired a new property in Cutler Bay with the intent of converting it to housing for persons within Miami-Dade County’s Continuum of Care, including persons who are disabled and seniors experiencing homelessness.
“ If you catch a really young individual, somebody who has become homeless because of family reasons and they're 17, 18 years of age.. Many of them are not suffering from some of the same behavioral health and co-occurring substance abuse and alcohol issues that some of our older population experiences,” Book said. He said that older individuals simply require more care and resources.
He said the trust has been able to reduce unsheltered homelessness in the Miami-Dade community by 90% in the past three decades.
If you have any questions for the Homeless Trust, you can call 305-375-1490. If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Homeless Helpline at 1-877-994-4357.
