LOWELL — Seniors 55 and older are a growing demographic in the city and the nation’s homeless population, and the impact is being felt by area service providers.
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness calls the rise in older homeless people the “gray wave.”
“Communities across America are recognizing the lack of services for this population and want to expand their capacity to provide for the unique needs of older people without a home,” the agency’s website said.
Isaiah Stephens is the managing director of the largest shelter north of Boston, on Middlesex Street in Downtown Lowell. Since 2020, he said the Lowell Transitional Living Center has seen a steady increase in the shelter’s senior homeless population, who he said are living off extremely limited incomes, including Social Security, disability and retirement.
“At one point in 2025, adults over the age of 55 made up 30 percent of the shelter’s population,” Stephens said by email Tuesday. “This year, LTLC has seen just over 1,000 individuals, including 323 over the age of 55, who are often medically compromised.”
It’s a pattern reflected in data compiled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the annual Point-in-Time survey.
The nationwide, single-night census of people experiencing homelessness is a tool used by HUD to understand the scope of homelessness, identify data trends and determine state and federal funding levels and program allocations. Each count is planned, coordinated and carried out locally.
Nationwide, while the number of homeless people declined in almost every other age category, the 65 and over demographic grew by almost 7%, higher than any one of the six other categories tracked in the 2025 data.
During Lowell’s 2026 PIT count, a total of 119 locations were visited, and 267 people counted as homeless.
According to data provided The Sun by the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, homeless seniors in Lowell rose by nearly 44% over the past six years.
In 2020, there were 46 people ages 55-plus who were homeless. By 2026, that figure had risen to 66 seniors.
“The increase in homelessness among older adults is one of the most concerning trends we’re seeing in our community,” Kathleen Plath, vice president of communications and external affairs for Community Teamwork Inc., said by email Tuesday.
CTI is one of Massachusetts’ largest community action agencies, serving tens of thousands of residents each year through programs that promote economic opportunity, housing stability, early education, workforce development, energy assistance, and family well-being throughout Greater Lowell and the surrounding region.
“Today, Community Teamwork is serving 28 seniors in our individual shelter system and another five seniors in our emergency family shelter program,” Plath said. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen a steady rise in the number of people over age 65 experiencing homelessness — a reality driven by rising housing costs, fixed incomes, health challenges, and the lack of affordable housing options.”
In 2024, CTI opened a building with 19 new permanent supportive housing units in Lowell’s Back Central neighborhood to serve the area’s unhoused residents, and the agency is currently developing a 50-bed emergency shelter for homeless women at the corner of Church and Warren streets in Lowell.
EOHLC data for 2026 showed that 28% of the homeless people in Lowell were women over the age of 55.
“The opening of our new Women’s Shelter this fall will provide critically needed capacity for vulnerable women, including older adults, and is one important step in strengthening the region’s response,” Plath said.
The city’s director of homeless initiatives was laid off in May, due to cuts in the fiscal 2027 budget, but Melissa Desroches, an executive assistant to City Manager Tom Golden, said the Department of Health and Human Services has made it a priority to protect the city’s unhoused populations.
“HHS works diligently with vulnerable populations on a daily basis with the goal of making sure people are housed,” Desroches said by email Wednesday. “This requires working around barriers, dedicated relationship-building, and working with partners to get people sheltered.”
She noted that in addition, the Council on Aging is willing to help any seniors 60 and over in the community get the services they need.
“The senior center is open Monday thru Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to noon,” Desroches said. “They serve breakfast and lunch daily, provide daily activities and year-round support.”
Stephens said his team at LTLC is also prepared to meet the daily needs of these older individuals who sometimes require around-the-clock-care with challenges that include incontinence, fall risks and disorientation.
“Once these individuals are stabilized and are able to leave the shelter, they are placed in housing or ongoing treatment,” he said.
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