The grocery store is the place Americans feel the impact of inflation on their daily lives the most. Who hasn’t encountered the sticker shock at the register recently? In a November 2023 survey by Yahoo Finance/Ipsos, two-thirds of American voters say higher food prices have hit harder than any other category by a wide margin. 

Rising prices at the grocery store hit low-income consumers hardest, because they must spend a much larger share of their income to afford the basics. No one has been hit harder than low income and homeless older adults already struggling to meet their basic needs. One in ten San Diego County seniors reports food insecurity. 

It’s easy to see why. The average monthly Social Security payment to 65-year-olds in 2024 is $1,505. But if you claim Social Security at age 62, the earliest possible age, your income is closer to $1,300 each month. For most beneficiaries, this is their only source of income. 

Think about what you pay for housing, utilities, and transportation in San Diego County. Imagine how little is left for food. 

According to the website Apartments.com, as of May 2024, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Diego, CA is $2,271 per month. This is 50% higher than the national average rent price of $1,515/month, making San Diego one of the most expensive cities in the US. A studio apartment doesn’t save much at $1,960 per month. 

When we think about our older neighbors at Serving Seniors, the first thing we consider is food. 

Serving Seniors is the single largest provider of meals to San Diego County older adults since its inception in 1970, and home-delivered meals for over 30 years. Last year, we provided almost 1.4 million meals. Serving Seniors feels privileged to serve our clients, and we have the capacity to serve many more. Still, we are dismayed at the ongoing and growing need.

May is Older Americans Month. Serving Seniors is enthusiastic about this year’s theme, “Powered by Connection,” which recognizes the impact meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and well-being. We work to connect with older adults in order to combat isolation and support healthy aging and independence. 

As people live longer, low income and homeless older adults continue to struggle with their everyday needs even as their numbers rise. At the most basic level, the Serving Seniors team works hard 365 days a year to ensure no older adult goes to bed hungry. 

Our Nutrition Program staff manage our program starting with information on dietary restrictions or health challenges. Menus are developed monthly in collaboration with County of San Diego registered dieticians, and meal-preparation contractor Trio Community Meals. 

All meals are prepared fresh daily each morning in the Serving Seniors Potiker Family Residence kitchens in the East Village. Meals are served in six congregate dining room settings. The largest is the Serving Seniors Gary and Mary West Wellness Center at Fourth and Beech Streets in downtown San Diego. We also serve meals in City Heights, East San Diego, Oceanside, and recently began meal service in Imperial Beach. 

To those of us who work with San Diego County’s most vulnerable older adults, a meal is much more than a simple plate of food. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, loneliness and social isolation in older adults are serious public health risks affecting a significant number of people in the U.S., putting them at risk for dementia and other serious medical conditions. Offering socialization over meals is a vital part of the Serving Seniors mission to keep older adults healthy and better able to avoid homelessness. 

Once a client starts receiving meals, a Serving Seniors case manager meets with each person to determine whether any other services or resources might benefit them, providing an additional outreach opportunity to low-income and homeless older adults. They can access healthcare, exercise classes, walking groups, and civic engagement. Not only do our fresh, nutritious meals provide the basic building blocks of healthy aging, our lively dining room service feeds the soul as well — 365 days a year and free of charge.

For homebound older adults, Serving Seniors drivers deliver meals to homes on 26 delivery routes throughout the county, as well as distribution hubs in Oceanside and in the South Bay area of San Diego. Deliveries take place Monday through Friday, with additional meals provided Thursday and Friday to cover the weekend. 

Serving Seniors is about to hit a milestone we never imagined. Later this summer, we will serve the 20 millionth meal. We will keep serving meals until no older adult goes hungry. If you or someone you know could benefit from our services, please visit our website or call us at 619-235-6572.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Housing costs and homelessness. Ask any San Diegan to share what the single most important issue is facing our region today and you’ll likely hear either one or both answers. It’s no surprise that these issues are closely linked — in 2023, the number of newly homeless continued to outpace the number of people housed each month. 

To put it plainly, many families and seniors across the city are struggling to keep up with increasing rents or find homes they can afford, leading to displacement, evictions and, oftentimes, homelessness. We recognize these are complex challenges that lack easy fixes, but through bold action paired with innovative solutions, we can help flip the script and reverse this staggering trend.

Building more housing is more important now than ever. And no other housing project today compares to Midway Rising. 

In 2022, the city of San Diego selected Midway Rising as the development team to reimagine the San Diego Sports Arena property. This selection earned the support of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and California’s Department of Housing and Community Development based on one specific reason — Midway Rising championed the boldest vision for affordable housing, a total of 2,000 affordable homes, which was a greater amount than any other competing redevelopment team. 

Going one step further, this commitment solidifies Midway Rising’s status as the largest affordable housing project in California’s history. And its impact cannot be understated. These 2,000 affordable homes will be made available for all San Diegans, including working families, seniors, veterans and unsheltered individuals.

Now, for anybody who has attended a concert or sporting event at the Sports Arena, you’ll be familiar with its existing layout and characteristics. A dated, concrete arena surrounded by a sea of asphalt parking. Redeveloping the site to accommodate thousands of new affordable homes where none exist today is a tall order, but it is one the city, the county of San Diego and Midway Rising are dedicated to tackling together. 

On March 11, San Diego City Council unanimously approved taking the first step in forming what is referred to as an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District, or EIFD, at the Sports Arena property. And on Wednesday, at the urging of Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer on this urgent affordable homebuilding crisis, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to collaboratively participate with the city’s Department of Economic Development and Department of Finance in its EIFD exploration process.

Taking the place of redevelopment agencies that were dissolved more than a decade ago, EIFDs are innovative financing mechanisms that can be used to invest in a broad range of public facilities or large-scale economic development projects with region-wide benefits, all without increasing costs to taxpayers by a single cent. 

To put it simply, an EIFD at the Sports Arena is the key to unlocking the site’s full potential and meaningfully addressing our region’s dire shortage of affordable homes. But how does an EIFD work exactly? And how would one function at the Sports Arena site? 

EIFDs work by reserving future property tax growth within a defined geographical boundary and can fund a variety of infrastructure projects in areas such as transportation, parks and open space, transit facilities, climate adaptation and most importantly, affordable housing. 

Now, with the county’s added support, a joint city and county EIFD would allow for an even greater percentage of future property tax dollar growth to be captured from the site’s redevelopment, and reinvested upfront to immediately address longstanding infrastructure deficiencies both on-site, and potentially in other adjacent areas within the Midway District.

With buy-in from San Diego’s regional elected officials, a joint EIFD will deliver on two key promises:

1. Achieving 20% of the county and city’s shared goal and commitment to constructing 10,000 new affordable homes on government land by 2030 through a single project.

2. Improving key infrastructure for the longstanding, underserved Midway community.

For the Midway Rising project, an EIFD ensures that 2,000 affordable homes for working San Diegans will be built, radically increasing the supply of affordable homes in the San Diego region and making a tangible impact in the lives of everyday San Diegans, including our most vulnerable population of seniors, veterans and unsheltered individuals.

And it doesn’t stop there. The significance of the Midway Rising project extends beyond housing and presents a golden opportunity to generate thousands of new temporary and permanent jobs for construction and hospitality workers in our city.

Our region’s labor unions have long been champions of economic justice, advocating for fairer wages, safer working conditions and job opportunities for all. Midway Rising’s commitment to labor and providing high-quality, good-paying jobs for working San Diego families is unparalleled and ensures the project will be union built and union operated. 

Midway Rising represents a bold step in the right direction — a testament to what we can achieve when we come together as a community to tackle our most pressing challenges. The project is the primary driver toward reimagining the entire Midway District into a more inclusive neighborhood where residents of all income levels can live and thrive. 

As the number of homeless continues to outpace the number of people housed each month, we can and will stem the tide. Wednesday’s bold action by our elected leaders will help us build affordable homes for those most in need. We urge all San Diegans to support the formation of an EIFD at the Sports Arena site, and together, we can build a brighter future for San Diego and make California housing history!

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives. Deacon Jim Vargas is the president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages, San Diego’s largest homeless services provider, and is a deacon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego serving the community of Mary, Star of the Sea in La Jolla. Both are partnering with Chelsea Investment Corporation, the affordable home developer for Midway Rising.

San Diego’s Serving Seniors has joined leading nonprofit organizations and housing experts addressing the nation’s homelessness crisis in signing on to an amicus brief in a case being heard on April 22 before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The case, City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Gloria Johnson, will determine whether local governments can make it a crime to involuntarily live outside and unsheltered, when adequate shelter is not available. The Supreme Court will review the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled states are not allowed to make it a crime to sleep outside if no inside space is available, based on Eighth Amendment protections against “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Officials in Grants Pass and elsewhere including the San Diego seek the ability to arrest and jail unsheltered people. Organizations like Serving Seniors which work with people experiencing homelessness understand the frustration of residents negatively impacted by our region’s homelessness crisis.

But turning people without a roof over their heads into criminals will not solve the problem. It will only divert our time and resources toward the criminal justice system, rather than turning our efforts including funding toward creating more affordable supportive housing. We should be spending money on developing housing, not paying for jails.

This is why Serving Seniors and many of our colleagues across the U.S. strongly advocate for the ruling in the Grants Pass case to stay in place.

Debunking Myths Around Homelessness

Our amicus brief dispels common myths about homelessness. Homelessness is not a matter of choice. It is a complex issue tied in large part to the lack of affordable housing.

The brief points out the fallacy in the argument that homelessness can be resolved through criminalization. There is a proven correlation between the scarcity of affordable housing and high rates of homelessness, especially in cities like San Diego with a high cost of living.

Our brief brings the high court’s attention to a harmful cycle. When people end up with a criminal record merely for lacking a roof over their heads, their path out of homeless becomes even more challenging.

Criminalization Is Counterproductive

Our brief outlines the legal, social, and economic ramifications of criminalizing homelessness. There is enough data from years of studying homelessness to prove such measures are not only ineffective, but also make the problem worse. The self-reinforcing cycle of homelessness and incarceration hurts individuals and imposes significant financial burdens on society.

When we divert financial resources from potential solutions to paying for incarceration and criminal justice processes, we fail to address and solve the root causes of homelessness.

Economic Implications and Alternative Solutions

Our coalition of experts prefers to focus on practical solutions. At the simplest level, it costs far less to build and support housing than it does to build and support jails. Supportive housing helps break the cycle of homelessness while generating considerable cost savings by reducing the need for emergency services, shelters, jails and hospitals.

This practical approach alleviates the burden on public resources. It also alleviates the real human cost of expecting people experiencing homelessness to somehow pull themselves up by their bootstraps, get a job, or move out of San Diego.

Thirty percent of the people experiencing homeless in San Diego are over age 55. Many would love to work but suffer from ageism or paperwork barriers — or can’t get hired because they have an arrest record. Others are disabled or have significant health issues. Social Security payments don’t come close to covering average rent costs. Affordable housing offers a more humane and effective solution to homelessness.

Serving Seniors A Model of Success

Serving Seniors demonstrates how supportive housing and other services can make a profound change. By providing older adults with stable housing, coupled with healthcare, meals, and social programs, Serving Seniors changes lives and offers a path to a solution that is both cost-effective and humane.

Our coalition’s amicus brief presents a compelling argument for reevaluating the approach to homelessness in the United States. We urge the U.S. Supreme Court to support the shift both in public policy and public perception represented by the Grants Pass ruling by the Ninth Circuit.

It’s time to end the criminalization of homelessness and instead put our efforts toward investment in supportive housing as the only sustainable solution. Serving Seniors and our counterparts from across the U.S. have collective experience and success addressing homelessness as a housing problem, not a criminal justice issue.

Turning those who cannot afford housing due to causes largely beyond their control will not solve this vexing problem. Instead, it will only increase serious social and economic costs for our communities.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

If you’ve traveled through the intersection of Balboa Avenue and Genesee Avenue in Claremont recently, you may have noticed construction activity or glimpsed a structure rising on the northwest side along Mt. Etna Drive, where the county crime lab and the former community hospital once stood.

On June 29 last year, Serving Seniors joined community leaders and project developers in a groundbreaking for a wide-ranging developing including a planned 174-unit senior housing complex and senior center along with additional affording housing. It’s one of the most exciting developments our organization has been involved with in our 53-year history. 

The project is making swift progress and is on track to open the senior center to the community and start moving people into housing by January 2025.

Recently, Chief Operating Officer Melinda Forstey and I did a site walk through of the project. We’re both familiar with the plans and knew what to expect. Still, we were both blown away by seeing the progress and seeing this incredible new community asset coming to life.

When we first met with community leaders and residents in the planning stages for this project, one concern we heard repeatedly was the need for more community space, especially a public senior center. When the Clairemont area was first developed more than 60 years ago, it was a haven for young homeowners. Now those original owners and the generations following them are older.

The closest existing senior center is surprisingly our Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center, located 12 miles south at 4th and Beech Streets in downtown San Diego. This is simply not adequate to meet the needs of the population in Clairemont and adjacent communities.

This will change in a dramatic way in January. Modeled after our downtown Wellness Center, Serving Seniors will provide a wide array of services free including meals, health services, workshops and classes, case management, and social activities. It is within walking distance of existing public transportation, shopping, and services. It will be open to the public daily. Volunteer opportunities will allow members of the community to get to know and support their neighbors.

We can already envision the lively atmosphere in the new communal dining room. The Clairemont space is breathtaking, with two story high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows on the east. It can seat and serve more people than our downtown facility, which is filled daily and open 365 days per year.

Serving Seniors sees the positive results from our programs at our original downtown center daily. We’re eager to bring the same programs and services to a new community.

We are partnering with our long-time collaborator, Chelsea Investment Corporation, in developing the senior housing.  Southern California Housing Collaboration is the partner on 230 family units also being constructed on the site.  Emerson Construction is building the housing and senior center. When completed, two buildings will be set aside for lower and moderate-income older adults, and two buildings will be set aside for low- and moderate-income families, including units for developmentally disabled adults. Serving Seniors will provide onsite resident services.

San Diego County needs more senior centers, just as it needs more affordable housing for people of all ages and backgrounds. But in the case of older adults, we know demographics are working against us. As our society ages overall, the need for programs and services targeting older adults will grow more quickly than we can address it.

In the worst-case scenario, we face a ticking time bomb. We expect the 2024 Point In Time Count of San Diego County’s unhoused citizens will show yet another annual increase in the number of older adults over age 55 experiencing homelessness, In 2023, it was nearly one third of the total population. The number of homeless adults over age 55 is projected to triple over the next decade.

As we watch the Clairemont project come to life this year, we hope the community feels the same sense of anticipation. We heard their call for a senior center and we agree it was sorely needed. Their input made a significant different in this project.

As neighbors, we must do more than simply write letters to the editor. We must encourage more affordable housing. Yes, even and especially if proposed projects are next door to our own homes. Far from burdening communities, these projects are an asset, and they improve the quality of life for everyone, not just for the new residents.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

San Diego County’s annual Point-in-Time Count serves as a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness and helps provide a sense of the overall scope of the problem in our communities. But it also serves a more lasting, impactful purpose.

On Jan. 25, hundreds of volunteers awoke long before their alarm clock normally goes off, and spent several hours approaching people on our streets, in tents and cars, and huddling under blankets to interview them about their lives as unsheltered people. It’s sometimes uncomfortable, and often heartbreaking.

It’s also an invaluable education, which we at Serving Seniors believe is key to helping dispel misunderstandings and stereotypes about the root causes of homelessness and the people affected.

Serving Seniors board members Dr. Divya Koura and Deb Barrett were part of our team surveying people in downtown San Diego this year.

Barrett, a local technology executive, participated in her first Point-in-Time Count this year. “It’s one thing to have strong opinions based on statistics you read. But when you actually get out there, and see someone sleeping on the sidewalk with no blanket, you know this is not a choice,” said Barrett.

“It’s a whole different experience to see up close. I just can’t even imagine having to try and survive on the street. To me, the more people can see the human side of this crisis and not just the statistics or perceived burden on society, you understand it’s a societal challenge that needs immediate attention and adequate resources,” explains Barrett.

Koura participated in her second Point-in-Time Count as part of a team with Barrett and Serving Seniors Chief Philanthropy Officer Edith Glassey. The trio walked along C Street to talk with the people they found there.

“At first I had all the questions people usually have. Why would you do this at four in the morning and all of these things?” said Koura. But once she took part in her first count in 2023, she was eager to come back.

“I think it’s important to do the things that make us uncomfortable, and to honestly expose ourselves to the harsh realities that are out there,” explained Koura, who says she encourages her friends to participate. “It is something I do intend to keep doing. I think it’s sobering, very sobering.”

Both women acknowledged there are people who are suffering from mental health issues. But far more people found themselves without housing due to a medical crisis, a job loss, or another emergency. For the older adults they spoke to, this was particularly the case.

“It was more like, ‘oh yeah, I got sick, I had cancer, and then I couldn’t work.’ That’s what I heard more this year than last year,’ said Dr. Koura.

“It’s astounding to me how many seniors report it was a medical crisis that caused them to no longer have the money to live on, and they eventually became homeless. That could literally happen to anyone,” said Barrett. “When you hear the varied reasons why this happens to people, it’s not all one thing. It’s not all drugs, which is what you often hear in the media or when this issue is being politicized.”

Volunteer teams use a mobile phone app to pose a list of questions and collect information from the unsheltered participants. In addition to personal information, people who agree to discuss their circumstances explain what happened, and what might have prevented them from becoming homeless.

I think honestly, it really could just happen to anyone,” said Koura. “So much of life is luck. Because of that, the judgment around it, the preconceived notions are things it’s important to bring down. There are people that can be brought to see the facts with these opportunities.”

Koura said when she arrived at work later in the day and talked with colleagues about it, many weren’t familiar with the Point-in-Time Count. “When I talked about it at work. everyone’s like, ‘What’s that?’

“Even though I’ve done it before, there’s still a strange sort of anticipatory anxiety about it. There’s discomfort waking people up, of being outside of our comfort zone for sure. But you get there, and you get started and then it’s not so hard. They’re just people that have to be and are very tough to survive what they’re going through.”

For Barrett, her first Point-in-Time Count experience will linger. “It stuck with me. It’s very upsetting, actually. But I think it’s easy to throw money at problems and not really get in there and roll up your sleeves and try to be part of the solution. The more educated I am, the more I see the issue firsthand, the more likely I will be to get involved in supporting effective solutions.”

Recognizing the systemic causes of homelessness is the first step toward developing policies and programs that can prevent this crisis from deepening.

Many San Diegans harbor deep-seated fears and misconceptions about homeless adults — that they are dangerous, unpredictable, or involved in criminal activities. Such perceptions are not only inaccurate but also dehumanizing.

By fostering environments where homeless individuals are seen and treated as neighbors, not threats, communities can work together to create sustainable solutions. Emphasizing shared humanity and the understanding that homelessness can affect anyone given the right circumstances is essential in overcoming fear and building a foundation for compassion and effective action.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

More serious discussion took place in 2023 about proposed solutions to San Diego County’s homelessness crisis than ever before. For someone who has worked for nearly three decades with San Diego County’s older adults experiencing homelessness, the new attention to this problem has been a welcome development.

What we must now address in 2024 is making clear assessments of what programs and policies are working, and which ones are most effective and feasible moving forward.

This year’s annual Point In Time Count scheduled for Thursday, Jan.25, will provide critically needed information to help public officials and service providers make decisions on how best to continue addressing San Diego County’s population of people experiencing homelessness. Both morning and evening shifts are available throughout the county.

Please consider volunteering. The Regional Task Force on Homelessness still needs people in all areas. Participating for just a few hours makes a significant contribution toward finding effective solutions. Put together a group from your workplace or community. Find more information and sign up here.

In the most recent monthly count in December, the Downtown San Diego Partnership’s end-of-year count showed 846 people experiencing homelessness in downtown San Diego. This figure represents a 60% decrease from the previous figure of 2,104 from May.

But do these numbers represent people finding shelter, or simply moving to areas with less enforcement?

Volunteers are still needed to help create the most accurate information about the nature and scope of the problem. If people are moving from central areas of San Diego to outlying communities, we need a wide distribution of volunteers to assess those areas and allow resources to be deployed where they are most needed.

When I joined staff and volunteers with Serving Seniors to participate in the 2023 count one year ago, we observed shocking growth in the number of older adults on our streets, verified by the report. Similar to 2022, San Diego County residents over age 55 were a significant component of the region’s homeless population, approximately 30%.

Demographics are working against us. The number of homeless adults over age 55 is projected to triple over the next decade. It’s possible the impending 2024 Point In Time Count will verify that an increasing number of older San Diegans still need housing.

As their neighbors, we must take direct action. Writing letters to the editor about the need for more affordable housing — and then opposing projects in our own neighborhood such as the H Barracks proposal near the San Diego International Airport in Point Loma — simply is not good enough. San Diegans are better than that.

At the urging of Serving Seniors, both the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the San Diego City Council established pilot programs providing shallow rental subsidies to qualified older adults. Recently, a shared housing service has been proposed by Supervisor Joel Anderson.

In addition, the City of San Diego passed its Safe Camping ordinance. It established two safe sleeping sites, and it has also established several non-congregate shelters, including the Senior Landing Bridge Shelter. We now hope to learn from the Point In Time Count what programs are working, and what needs to be improved. We must make sure our limited resources are being used most effectively.

Consider the upcoming count an opportunity for you to look behind the numbers and the news reports. While it might make you uncomfortable at first, participating in the Point In Time Count allows you to talk with people experiencing homelessness and learn their stories. I have participated in the count for many years, and always learn something new.

Putting a human face on this problem instead of making assumptions will give you a valuable perspective on this issue. Perhaps it will motivate you to join the civic conversation and contribute toward finding new ways to help solve it.

We remain optimistic despite the severity of the numbers. Shallow rental subsidy programs, non-congregate shelter options, safe parking, and other resources targeting older adult homelessness can help people quickly, allowing us to focus other resources on those who need them most.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

As San Diegans embrace the festive spirit of the year-end holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, it’s also a time to reflect on a tradition deeply woven into this season: charitable giving. More than any other time of year, the motivation to help others illuminates the power of generosity and its profound impact on our communities, particularly on vulnerable groups like the older adult homeless population.

The practice of giving during the holidays has historic roots running deep and wide across various cultures and religions, not just Christmas. In the ancient Roman tradition of Saturnalia, gifts were exchanged as part of winter solstice celebrations. The Jewish custom of tzedakah emphasizes charity as a moral obligation. The Christian tradition of presenting gifts in remembrance of the Magi’s offerings to Jesus is upheld by giving to family and friends today. Each tradition reinforces the values of generosity and community spirit.

Today, this holiday spirit of giving is also a vital support system for nonprofit organizations like Serving Seniors. Research consistently shows a significant portion of charitable donations is received during the holiday season. Thirty percent of annual giving occurs in December. Ten percent of annual giving occurs on the last three days of the year.

More than three-quarters of all Americans still believe everyone can make a difference by supporting nonprofit causes.

At Serving Seniors, we witness firsthand the impact of this generosity. The donations we receive during the holidays represent a lifeline enabling us to provide critical services including meals, health care, social services, and housing to our increasing older adult homeless population — now 30% of all people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County.

Demographics and the unique challenges faced by older adults are both working against efforts to solve this societal issue. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports the number of homeless older adults is expected to triple by 2030 — just seven years away. Older adults have distinct needs including chronic health problems, disabilities, social isolation, and fixed incomes failing to keep up with inflation. Meeting these needs without stable housing and support is a never-ending battle.

Through the community’s help, Serving Seniors is able to address these challenges. We recently celebrated the first anniversary of our Harris Family Senior Residence in City Heights. Co-located with the Mid-City Family Housing complex, older adults not only find shelter, but also a community and a sense of belonging. The joy and friendship we saw at this event proves our residents are not simply living but thriving. We look forward to opening another similar residence in Clairemont, which broke ground earlier in 2023.

Charitable giving during the holidays isn’t just about addressing immediate needs. It’s a powerful prevention tool and an investment in the future. By supporting organizations working with the needs of all vulnerable populations in San Diego, donors create a more inclusive, caring society. Donors help build systems to sustainably support those in need, long after the holiday lights go dark.

As you celebrate this season of giving with family and friends, extend your generosity to the greater community we share. Whether it is a donation to a nonprofit, or volunteering the gift of your time in 2024, or reaching out to someone in need, your actions have a profound impact. I have the good fortune to see it every day.

The holiday season becomes more than just a time for celebration. It’s a time for reflection and action. The long-held tradition of charitable giving rooted in diverse cultures is a powerful tool in our hands allowing us to change our world for the better.

We can embrace this spirit of generosity and become part of humanity’s legacy, We can also ensure it continues to flourish, not just during the holidays but throughout the year. What a gift it is to make a difference in the lives of the older adult homeless population and build a community where everyone is valued and supported.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Even in San Diego, there comes a time of year when the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter. We know the holiday season is here. Nonprofit organizations like Serving Seniors count on the warmth and generosity of our supporters during the holiday season. Donations during the last six weeks of the year can determine the services and support we can provide to San Diego’s older adults at risk or facing homelessness.

Giving Tuesday kicks it all off on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Nearly one third of all charitable giving takes place in December. One in four nonprofit organizations raise half of their total donations for the year during the holidays.

After 28 years as CEO of Serving Seniors, it is humbling and overwhelming for all of us to know our work is supported through the generosity of our donors. Many of them share what little they have with us because they believe in our mission. These gifts are especially meaningful to me.

Before you give to any nonprofit, even Serving Seniors, you need to check to make sure your contribution won’t be mishandled, or even go to a fraudulent operation. I like to tell people to “kick the tires” first Maybe it’s an old-fashioned phrase, but it describes so well what I mean. If you prefer, take your nonprofit for a “road test.”

Here are some tips to be sure your contribution makes a real impact.

First, check with the watchdog websites which study and rate nonprofit organizations. Two of the best are Charity Navigator, and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Any legitimate, reputable charity will encourage you to look up their ratings. Serving Seniors is proud to be top rated on both websites.

You can also check with the Internal Revenue Service and state nonprofit registries to check their operating status. In the State of California, the Attorney General regulates charities.

The Federal Trade Commission recommends doing an online search for a nonprofit’s name, or the type of service it provides, along with terms like “highly rated,” “complaints,” or “scam.”

Never click on links in social media or in emails or text messages you receive. If the group interests you, visit its website instead.

Never give your personal or financial information like a Social Security number, date of birth, or bank account number to anyone who contacts you asking for a donation. Instead, ask for information to be mailed to you for following up on your own.

Give using credit cards or checks. These can be tracked. Keep a record of all your donations and review your bank and credit card accounts frequently to make sure you aren’t charged more than you agreed to give or signed up for a monthly donation program when you didn’t mean to do so.

Be especially cautious about crowdfunding accounts like GoFundMe or social media posts. People setting up these accounts do not have to give any proof they are legitimate.

Nonprofit organizations are obligated to provide detailed information to interested donors. Serving Seniors makes our latest annual report available on our website. We encourage donors to read it. Reconsider giving to any nonprofit if you can’t get this information.

No organization should make you feel beholden to give by sending unsolicited “gifts” like mailing labels, greeting cards, or calendars. It is against the law to demand payment for unordered merchandise.

There are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States. Most work hard to address so many of society’s needs. Without the support of our donors, Serving Seniors wouldn’t have been able to step up and triple the number of meals served to our low-income and homeless older adult clients. These meals are a lifeline helping people get through many dark days.

The competition for donations during the holidays can seem intense. In our post-pandemic world with inflation hitting many people hard, nonprofits respond to increased demand for services. Once you’ve finished your road test and tire-kicking to find a nonprofit organization doing work you believe in, please give generously if you can.

In my role I’m fortunate to talk directly with the people who benefit from our services, and I know many other nonprofit leaders who see the impact of your donations daily. Without a doubt, every donation changes someone’s life for the better in a real and meaningful way. This feeling can warm up any chilly day.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Frequently when I discuss the San Diego region’s older adult homelessness problem, I provide plenty of facts and numbers to give people the big picture of what we are facing. The statistics are stunning. Thirty percent of San Diego’s population experiencing homelessness is over age 55.

The Serving Seniors Needs Assessment published two years ago offered a wake-up call along with a more precise look at the causes — and solutions — for older adult homelessness. Many of those solutions including shallow rental subsidy programs are being put into place.

Metrics are vital to identifying a problem’s scope. But numbers sometimes lack humanity. Numbers let us pretend homelessness is something that happens to people we don’t know. People who aren’t anything like us.

Let me introduce you to John Conroy.

Conroy was looking forward to retirement after working for 34 years at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. He worked in environmental services.

“I was very active in playing the piano there for administration’s extracurricular activities. I was a labor leader. For the employees in the union, I was on committees. So, I was very active in the job,” recalled Conroy. “I enjoyed it very much. And then I decided to retire early.”

But a sudden loss of housing turned his world upside down.

John and his roommates were evicted one evening after a knock at the door from San Diego Police. His landlord had passed away. The home was sold, but a probate dispute meant his lease was no longer valid. John, his three dogs, and his belonging had nowhere to go. He stuffed what he could into a car and left.

“I became homeless Feb. 16, 2022,” he said. “The support I needed the most was emotional and mental. It was a shock. I had no idea where I was going. My world was being turned upside down.”

He eventually made his way to a local shelter. It was a shocking experience. He felt anxiety about leaving with his belongings every day, and not making it back before curfew. His things were stolen, and he was physically threatened. He left the shelter and described it as a walk of faith, putting his future in God’s hands.

Conroy’s journey finally brought him to Serving Seniors, where caseworker Jazmin Garcia helped him find transitional housing. Conroy credits his faith for keeping him going. He managed to maintain a hopeful and positive attitude no matter how bleak things were.

“Serving Seniors is a healing place: physically, emotionally, mentally, to get people on the right track,” he said. “It gives people the hope they need, because Serving Seniors has charity, love, and compassion and understanding.”

Now safely housed, Conroy volunteers at Serving Seniors to give hope to others who are struggling with homelessness. A talented musician, he enjoys coming into the Serving Seniors Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center to play the piano in the dining room and socialize with others. He once again volunteers his musical talents at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in his free time, reducing stress for patients and staff alike.

People who attended the recent Serving Seniors Sunshine Gala at the Marriott Marquis Resort and Hotel last month were treated to a special performance by Conroy. His medley of classical music and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” received a standing ovation.

Conroy is among the fortunate individuals who got help quickly. He calls himself a survivor, “like that song by Gloria Gaynor. People need to have hope and a positive message. And that’s what keeps us going.”

He never expected to be homeless, until he was. Now Conroy has the stability and safety he craved. He is a strong advocate today on behalf of older adults experiencing homelessness, hoping to prevent the trauma he experienced affecting others.

“Homelessness will affect all of you regardless of your status, regardless of your sex, your gender, your race, your environment, your job. It doesn’t matter. It can hit home to all of us.” he said. “Never think it can’t. Life is uncertain.”

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

When many of our great-grandparents were living in 1900, just three million Americans were alive over age 65. Today, this number is 50 million people.

In 2021, nearly six million of them were living in California — more than any other state. There are an estimated 636,000 adults in San Diego County over the age of 60.

Many older adults live healthy, productive lives. But a growing number face long periods of unemployment, discrimination during the hiring process, and fewer professional development opportunities.

Combined with crises such as medical debts, divorce or the death of a spouse, the result manifests itself in poverty. This is without a doubt fueling the San Diego region’s homelessness crisis.

The most recent Point In Time Count found 30% of San Diego County’s population of homeless adults were over age 55. The Serving Seniors Needs Assessment report identified the loss of income or unforeseen debts as the most common causes of older adult homelessness. When people cannot find work, they face eviction, declining health — and eventually find themselves without a home.

Ageism Awareness Day is Saturday, Oct. 7. It has significant meaning to those of us at Serving Seniors who work with older adults daily, and see the pervasive, insidious effect of ageism on their lives.

Ageism is defined by the World Health Organization as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudices (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.”

There are still significant negative representations in popular culture about older adults. Two-thirds of older adults said they regularly see, hear, or read insulting jokes about older people. Discrimination based on age can be so pervasive it goes unrecognized.

Be honest with yourself. Have you joked about older adults being hopeless with technology, or laughed about having a “senior moment?”

Ageism is no joke. According to a comprehensive 2023 survey of older workers and employment by AARP,

• More than 40% of workers over the age of 40 say they’ve experienced age discrimination at work in the last three years.
• Workers over the age of 50 are unemployed for three times as long as younger workers because of ageism barriers.
• In a ZipRecruiter study, 47% of employers worry about older workers’ tech skills. One in four say they’d hire a 30-year-old over a 60-year-old when both candidates are equally qualified.

When someone loses a job at age 55, they often lose their health insurance as well. The inability to become re-employed begins a downward spiral of economic distress, sometimes resulting in eviction and homelessness.

When older adults access Social Security early at age 62, the average monthly payment of $1,782 at age 65 drops by 30% to just $1,247.40. Who can cover their living expenses in San Diego on this? Further, Medicare isn’t available for anyone until they turn 65.

After working with older adults for three decades in my role as CEO of Serving Seniors (and aging into this population group myself), ageism is nothing short of an epidemic.

When an older adult loses a job, it’s often difficult if not impossible to replace their employment after age 50, especially in youth-oriented professions like information technology or marketing.

Many clients we assist at Serving Seniors are experiencing homelessness precisely because of these issues. They were once vibrant, productive professionals. Suddenly, they are shocked to find themselves without resources.

Ageism is without a doubt a contributor to their circumstances. Ageism denies hundreds of thousands of people employment opportunities, the ability to be economically self-sufficient, and accurate representation in our culture.

By 2030, one in four San Diegans will be 60 or older. Maybe you’ll be one of them. Ageism could affect your own health, longevity, and financial well-being. It hurts San Diego’s economy as a whole as we continue to fight our homelessness crisis. The cure is far more expensive than prevention.

On Ageism Awareness Day, consider for a moment how you’d like to be treated when you’re older. California psychologist Todd Nelson calls ageism “a prejudice against our future self.” Ageism is a form of discrimination facing all of us if we’re fortunate to live long enough unless we take steps to stop it now.

Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.