When older adult survivors are seeking temporary or long-term housing, the challenges and barriers that arise in identifying safe and secure housing options are often significant. Their options for safe housing may be limited due to intimate-partner violence requirements at some shelters or an older survivor’s experience in a shelter may not be sufficient due to a lack of accommodations and age-relevant services appropriate for their needs. Additionally, financial abuse, typically perpetrated by adult children, is a common recurring factor contributing to first-time homelessness in later life, and spousal abuse has been identified as a risk factor for experiencing homelessness in later life (MacNeil & Burnes, 2022). Further exacerbating the issue, the availability of affordable long-term housing options throughout the country remains limited and scarce.
The National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) is offering an informative and engaging 90-minute webinar on “Identifying Safe and Secure Housing Options for Older Adults,” on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 2pm ET / 1pm CT / 12pm MT / 11am PT. This webinar is open to OVW grantees and potential OVW grantees.
The webinar will focus on the following and will allow participants to be better able to:
1. Recognize the common barriers older survivors face when seeking shelter and housing
2. Discuss ideas and options to increase shelter/safe house accessibility and long-term care options for older adult survivors
3. Determine key partnerships to increase housing options for survivors
4. Identify national assistance programs and initiatives that can provide information on and solutions to housing challenges
5. Develop 2-3 strategies to improve accessibility for older adults at their agency
Register today to save your spot. https://ncjfcj-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cUJUy1xWTlyancQE3usFFQ#/registration
Questions? Contact Victoria Ferguson-Young, NCALL’s Victim Services Coordinator, at vfergusonyoung@ncall.us.
This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-24-GK-03046-ALLX awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this series are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
Source: MacNeil, A., & Burnes, D. (2022). Bridging the gap between homelessness in older adulthood and elder abuse: Considerations for an age-friendly shelter system. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 34(3), 391–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2021.1973342