Why More Older Adults Are Living in Poverty — and How You Can Help

[Another thing] I think we need to account for is the fact that many elderly Americans are not getting connected to anti-poverty programs that are designed to ease hunger and hardship. Most elderly Americans who qualify for food stamps do not receive them, and the reason for that seems to be administrative burden [of applying for these programs] and red tape and regulation. Finding ways to better connect elderly Americans to those programs, making applying and reapplying for those programs simple and easy, I think should be a top priority.

Many older Americans who are eligible for SNAP benefits/food stamps don’t enroll in the program. Why is that the case and what are some ways to get more adults this assistance when they need it?

Desmond: There are some very simple and effective methods. One study showed that they [could increase enrollment] by sending the older adult a mailing informing them of their eligibility for food stamps and including a phone number. When they dial that phone number, a real live human being picks up the phone and spends half an hour walking them through the process online. That process can greatly increase uptake of SNAP [enrollment] among elderly adults.

It's not rocket science, but we have to be intentional about making sure we market these programs [such as SNAP] in a way that’s attractive and simple, making sure that when folks  apply for this program, it's easy and seamless. For elderly adults, it seems like there’s a big benefit just from walking through the process on an individual basis.

According to research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in summer 2021, roughly 10 percent of renters 65 and older were behind on their rent, which meant that nearly 800,000 older adults were in danger of eviction when the pandemic moratorium ended. How does eviction and the poverty that leads to it affect older Americans?

Desmond: I remember doing a survey in eviction court in Milwaukee a few years ago for my last book, and we asked people their ages. The youngest person getting evicted wasn’t of age yet, but the oldest person getting evicted was well into their old age. I think they were in their 80s.

We typically think eviction affects families and kids, and that’s certainly true, but there’s a nontrivial share of the American [eviction] population that are elderly Americans.

Eviction really does affect people across their life course, including elderly Americans. When you think of the stress and health consequences of eviction, including homelessness, but also the link that we know of between eviction and things like depression, I think [those health issues] could be compounded by over ability, disproportionately affecting elderly Americans.

What would it take to end poverty in the United States?

Desmond: We have the power and resources to abolish poverty in the United States. We used to have those moral ambitions. When President Johnson launched the War on Poverty in 1964, they actually set a deadline for it. I think that we as a nation can rekindle our sense of urgency.

We need to do two things. We need to deepen our investments in fighting poverty. A study a few years ago showed that if the top 1 percent of Americans paid the taxes they owe [without tax breaks], we can raise an additional $175 billion a year, which is almost enough to raise everyone above the official poverty line. We have the resources to do that.

But the second thing is, we don’t just need deeper investments, we need different policies and policies that address exploitation in America. We need policies that do a better job of empowering workers, raising wages, providing families with more choice about where to live, and also ending financial exploitation in banking and other lending.