'The face of homelessness has changed': This Florida woman, 78, was living out of her car and eating just 1 meal a day — why more seniors in the Sunshine State are facing homelessness

Carolyn isn't the only older American in that boat. A growing portion of seniors in parts of Florida are grappling with homelessness — and the problem is projected to keep getting worse.

Homelessness is hitting older Floridians

Carolyn had been living in her vehicle for two months at the time, and 7News reports she has only Social Security for income. She didn't share her monthly benefit amount, but the average retired worker today collects about $2,000 a month.

Carolyn has sold many of her possessions, but simply came up short on money for housing. In the absence of a bed, she slept upright in her car instead of lying down.

“I sleep here in this seat, scrunched down. My ankles and legs are swollen from having to sit all the time,” she said. “I buy jug water, it’s cheaper. And I eat one meal a day, for $2.02.”

Thanks to her Medicare plan, Carolyn had free access to a gym where she could shower, per 7News. But her experience was far from living in an actual home.

Cassandra Rhett, the Housing and Social Services Manager for the City of Pompano Beach, was trying to help find her one. Rhett was inspired to help knowing that anyone could end up in a situation like Carolyn's.

“It could be my aunt, it could be my mother. It just breaks my heart just how humble Carolyn is,” she told 7News with tears in her eyes.

Rhett blamed the situation on skyrocketing rents.

Ron Book, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, says that homeless seniors are incredibly vulnerable and in need of help.

“We know if you put vulnerable elderly on the street, they’re going to die earlier,” he told 7News. “The face of homelessness has changed. I want people in our community to think about their mothers, and their grandmothers, and their grandfathers being homeless for the first time.”

In 2019, people aged 65 and older made up nearly 8% of the homeless population in Miami-Dade County, according to 7News, citing data from the Homeless Trust. By 2024, that number reached 14%, and it’s projected to climb to 22% by 2030.

Meanwhile, Carolyn has since found a home. In a follow-up story published June 5, 7News reports she’s now living in a one-bedroom apartment in a 55-plus community, made possible thanks to an outpouring of local support following the initial story's broadcast date. Her rent, nearly $1,200, is partly covered by Broward County’s Elderly and Veterans Services, which allows her to afford the space on her Social Security.

Carolyn hopes sharing her story sheds light on the problem of seniors facing homelessness.

“It can happen to anyone. Don’t think it can’t,” she warned.

Homelessness among seniors is a major problem

Americans aged 50 and over are the fastest growing group of people who are going homeless in the country, according to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness, meanwhile, reports that in 2023, roughly 138,000 Americans aged 55 and older experienced homelessness on a given night, representing 20% of all homeless individuals.