The number of elderly homeless people in Wichita continues to climb as the economy sends them to local shelters seeking refuge.
Sandy Swank of Inter-Faith Ministries says the organization's winter shelter has served 13 people over the age of 62 so far this year after helping only five in 2012. In many cases a spouse has died and left a mountain of debt that overwhelmed the survivor.
Swank told The Wichita Eagle that when she started working at Inter-Faith since late 1990, elderly people occasionally came to the shelter but almost always had someone to look after them.
A 2010 study by the Homeless Research Institute projected the number of elderly people who are homeless will increase by one-third nationally, from 44,172 in 2010 to 58,772 by 2020.
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Aurora
Sunday 10 February 2013 12:52 Report this comment
In the land where people whines about their tax money helping those "lazy" people, you calls America a "Christian" nation? So much for being "Christian" nation.
grayhair
Sunday 10 February 2013 22:25 Report this comment
This is very sad do they not have families to do somethings to try and help. And it make me sick a spouse is dead and they want who living to pay for his bills bull sh---. They should be able to live the life they have left to live. There many in nursing home that put there and no one visit them either but one thing my Grandmother kept telling me was to just keep living baby because we do not know who will have to give us our last drink. But the ones with money do not care about anything like the elderly it that is a shame it was not for a lot of them where will we be. That what the Republicans seen to like do not care about the elderly or the poor which maybe the same or the disable someone please do something. I am disable and it is hard to qualify for anything .This again is so SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!