Bob is 69 years old, and homeless! Maybe it’s just me being overly sensitive to my own age and financial situation, but nothing bothers me more than senior citizen homelessness!
Bob has been on the streets for five years. The night before this interview Bob slept under a bridge.
Overall Bob is happy. He spends his days making new friends while selling Portland’s street paper.
We all know homelessness is a serious crisis, but we are about to experience a social crisis like no other. The first wave of baby boomers are hitting retirement age at a time when social security is shaking at its roots when retirement funds do not match the cost of expenses and medical insurance has been emptied.
I call this the “Silver Tsunami” and it will tax our current social services system beyond what federal, state and local governments can provide.
We need to start preparing for this now, but most homeless services are focused on the train wreck in front of them instead of the tsunami that will wipe us all out.
Thoughts?
