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34 Worcester Business Journal | November 17, 2025 | wbjournal.com BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer S eniors are the fastest-growing age group experiencing home- lessness in the nation, with those 55 and older making up about 20% of the entire unhoused population, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In Massachusetts and in Worcester County, the figures are just as startling. e state has the fih-highest rate of homelessness in the country, according to the National Alliance to End Home- lessness. Nearly 2,300 older adults experi- enced homelessness in Massachusetts on a single night in January 2024, with 16.1% of those categorized as unshel- tered. at's the largest unsheltered per- centage of any other age group analyzed that month. In Worcester County, those aged 65 or older remain the smallest unhoused age group, but it's fastest growing, rising 29% since 2018, according to the Worcester nonprofit Central Massachu- setts Housing Alliance. Fixed incomes, rising rents, and dwindling support systems mean more older adults are showing up at homeless shelters than ever before. Shelters in Central Massachusetts and the state as a whole were built decades ago without the forethought of today's senior homelessness crisis. As a result, local organizations are working around the clock to provide shelter for some of our communities' most vulnerable residents. Financial strains roughout the unhoused senior population, two subcategories rise: those who have been experiencing long-term homelessness and now have complex needs, and those who are just now facing homelessness for the first time, said Joyce Tavon, CEO of the Boston-based Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alli- ance. For the first group of seniors, many have been battling mental health issues and substance use disorders, but now with age, they are experiencing medical needs intensifying STOCK ILLUSTRATION | FRESHIDEA SENIOR RESOURCE GUIDE Fixed incomes, rising rents, and limited resources are making seniors the fastest- growing unhoused population in Worcester County Joyce Tavon, CEO of the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance The rising risk of homelessness