Gonzaga Hosting Free Screening of Documentary on Aging Homeless Population

November 07, 2024

|

Gonzaga University News Service

Among the myriad challenges communities are faced with in trying to tackle homelessness is the daunting fact that aging Americans are increasingly likely to find themselves unhoused, a trend that shows no signs of abating any time soon.

During the annual Point-In-Time Count in January 2023 to track homeless trends, nearly one in four people experiencing homelessness were over the age of 55. The elderly are the fastest-growing demographic experiencing homelessness in the U.S., and a 2017 study led by the University of Pennsylvania’s Dennis Culhane showed the aged homeless population at the time was expected to triple by 2030.

Michael Larson, Gonzaga alumni and founder of Portland-based nonprofit Humans for Housing, is aiming to raise awareness of this troubling trend and uniquely vulnerable population. Part of that effort is the recent production of a film, “No Place to Grow Old,” which he’ll be presenting for a free screening and discussion at Gonzaga University on Nov. 14.

“This is a national problem happening in every single major city, that older adults are entering into homelessness,” Larson says. “We’re trying to raise awareness so that we can better focus on protecting this population of people, to make sure people aren’t retiring and then entering into homelessness for the first time in their lives.”

Housing costs, medical costs and the sheer size of the Baby Boomer generation are as much a part of the narrative of the aging homeless population as issues like addiction or mental illness. The 44-minute “No Place to Grow Old” introduces several people at different points in their housing challenges, telling stories that show the audience just how quickly one’s options dry up as age and economics combine in the harshest ways.

Larson is a familiar face in Spokane’s efforts to combat homelessness, having spent his years at Gonzaga organizing a Humans for Housing march, making films including “Humanizing Spokane” that illustrated the humanity of the Lilac City’s unsheltered community, volunteering at House of Charity and organizing the student-led Meals on the Margins group focused on serving meals to Spokane’s unhoused population.  

You can watch the trailer for the film here.