Seniors are increasingly impacted by homelessness in Washington state and throughout the country. Since the 1990s, the average age of the U.S. homeless population has risen from 30 to 50 as the gap between seniors’ fixed incomes and housing costs has widened.  

Catholic Housing Servies (CHS) serves this growing population of homeless seniors through a network of shelters and permanent supportive housing sites dedicated to older adults. “I believe seniors have earned the right to live with safety and dignity in their later years,” says Kenna O’Hara, a CHS manager in Pierce County. 

Every week, Kenna gets two or three urgent calls from seniors in search of housing in Pierce County. Because of the serious need, Kenna can only offer a place on the waiting list for the CHS permanent supportive housing sites for seniors she manages.  

Lydia is happy to call CHS Kincaid Court after overcoming homelessness. 

One of these calls came from Lydia, a two-time cancer survivor struggling to support herself following the death of her husband and the loss of their home. Even while working, Lydia was unable to afford housing. “The rent kept going up every month,” Lydia says. 

While on the waiting list, Lydia built a roster of clients, providing them with house and yard work. Lydia depended on improvised temporary housing solutions, staying with friends and family and even living in a tent pitched in a friend’s backyard. 

Lydia was overjoyed when she received the long-awaited call from Kenna welcoming her to Kincaid Court. CHS Kincaid Court is one of seven CHS properties dedicated to seniors and includes 39 units. Lydia pays around $300 a month to live at Kincaid court, about a third of her income.  

Now that she’s settled in her new home, Lydia enjoys cooking for fellow residents using provisions she receives from friends and local churches. She is glad to be surrounded by familiar pieces of furniture, porcelain, and artwork saved from her home. 

“I am so happy here. There are still times I’ll be reading in my chair, and I’ll stop, look up, and can’t believe I’m here,” Lydia says. “By the grace of God, I’ve survived it all.” 

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