Unsheltered Homelessness for Older Adults
How Displacement Happens
Thomas and his wife Yolanda spent decades working hard so they could enjoy their golden years together. But after a flood took away their apartment and everything inside, they found themselves in a position they never expected: living outside as older adults. In 2024, Thomas and Yolanda endured months of unsheltered homelessness. They had to navigate freezing weather, chronic illnesses, and be on the move constantly to find places to sleep.
“Nobody is prepared to be homeless…I never thought it could happen in a million years,” Thomas recalled. “Weeks felt like months, and the days never seemed to end.”
A Safe Place to Go
Eventually, Thomas and Yolanda found shelter at Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place in St. Paul. There, they had access to three meals a day, laundry, showers, case management services, and more. Staff at Dorothy Day Place referred Thomas and Yolanda to Catholic Charities Homeless Elders Program. They help vulnerable seniors move out of shelter and into safe, permanent homes. For Thomas, this was a significant turning point.
“I’m so serious…Catholic Charities saved our lives. They helped me. They turned my whole life around and helped me get back on track,” he said.
Moving Back Home
Temporary shelter and personalized case management support successfully resulted in permanent, independent living for Thomas and Yolanda.
In November 2024, they were the very first residents to sign a lease and move into a new affordable housing community for low-income seniors in Saint Paul. The move came right in time for Yolanda to cook Christmas dinner for their new neighbors – something she hadn’t been able to do for a long time.
“Do you know how good it felt to do that again?” said Thomas reflecting about hosting loved ones in their new home. “You know, we weren’t just thinking about ourselves. We were thinking about friends we made at Dorothy Day Place that we still talk to [today] . . . we check on each other.”
If it wasn’t for programs like the Homeless Elders Program to help you get back on track, then what are you going to do?”
Targeted Support and Resources Work
The ease in which anyone – young or elderly – can slip into homelessness is not lost on Thomas.
“You could have lost stuff through fire. You could lose stuff to a job, or an ended marriage or relationship, or just bad health,” Thomas said, “and if it wasn’t for programs like the Homeless Elders Program to help you get back on track, then what are you going to do?”
Today, Thomas and Yolanda are thriving as they turn their new apartment into a home. Thomas calls the place his castle and expresses deep appreciation for where he is now, thanks to the Homeless Elders Program.
“This program saves lives. And I’m the living proof.”
Funding the Homeless Elders Program
Thomas sat down with the Minnesota Star Tribune and shared his story during the 2025 Minnesota legislative session. His voice, along with the stories of two other Homeless Elders clients, played a role in the $1,000,000 appropriation that Catholic Charities Twin Cities received from the State this year in support of the Homeless Elders program.
The Homeless Elders Program last received support from the State in 2023 and has since helped more than 300 seniors move into permanent housing. With renewed funding, the program will continue to serve vulnerable older adults in the Twin Cities.
