Real Help for Seniors Facing Homelessness: Federal Resources
No single office handles senior homelessness. Help is organized locally, and two phone numbers connect you to it. Here is who to call, in what order, and what to ask for.
If you or an older relative is facing homelessness or losing housing, start with 211 (dial 2-1-1 in most of the country) or the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. Both connect you to your local Area Agency on Aging and your community's homeless-services network. HUD's Continuum of Care program coordinates emergency shelter and housing in each area. The SOAR program helps homeless people with a serious mental illness or disabling condition get approved for SSI or SSDI. Medicare and Medicaid do not pay for housing.
Older adults are among the fastest-growing groups in the homeless population nationally. Help is harder to find than it should be, because the system is run community by community. The steps below are in the order to take them.
What to do first
- If you have an eviction notice or a court date, call legal aid today. Do not move out because of a notice alone. In most places a landlord needs a court order to evict, and a lawyer can often buy time or stop the eviction. Use our Senior Legal Aid Locator.
- Call 211. Ask for emergency rental assistance, shelter, and "coordinated entry" for homeless services.
- Call the Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116, or your Area Agency on Aging. Ask for a case manager and a benefits check.
- If you are a veteran, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838.
- Gather your documents: photo ID, Social Security card, proof of income, and any lease, notice or court papers. Programs ask for them, and replacing them takes time.
Start local: 211 and the Eldercare Locator
Homelessness assistance in the U.S. is coordinated locally, so the two most useful numbers are referral lines.
211 connects you to a local information and referral service for health and human services. That includes emergency shelter, rental assistance and your community's coordinated entry system.
The Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116, is the federal directory that connects older adults to their local Area Agency on Aging (AAA). The AAA can help with benefits counseling, meals, case management, caregiver support and referrals to housing help.
If one number does not get you anywhere, call the other. They reach many of the same services, and how much the person answering knows varies by area.
HUD's Continuum of Care
The Continuum of Care (CoC) program is HUD's network of local planning bodies, generally one for each major city, county or region. Each one coordinates its community's response to homelessness: emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing. They are funded through annual HUD grants.
There is no national CoC phone number. You reach yours through 211 or HUD's online resource locator. When you get through, ask to be assessed through coordinated entry. That assessment is how people are placed on the community's list for housing programs, and age and health conditions can affect priority.
Two tools on this site help as well. The HUD Section 202 Senior Housing Locator finds subsidized housing built for low-income seniors, which is worth applying for before a crisis. The Area Agency on Aging Locator finds the same local agency the Eldercare Locator would refer you to.
Call 211
National referral line for local shelter, rental assistance, and coordinated entry into homeless services.
Call the Eldercare Locator
1-800-677-1116 connects you to your local Area Agency on Aging for benefits, case management, and referrals.
Ask About Your Local CoC
HUD's Continuum of Care coordinates shelter and housing programs community by community, not nationally.
Ask About SOAR
A federal model connecting homeless people with a disabling condition to SSI/SSDI, often faster than applying alone.
SOAR: faster help with disability income
SOAR stands for SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery. It was developed with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SOAR-trained caseworkers help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and who have a serious mental illness, another significant medical impairment or a co-occurring substance use disorder, put together a complete SSI or SSDI application.
SOAR-assisted applications are approved at roughly double the national rate for unassisted applications. A complete first application avoids months or years of appeals. Ask about SOAR if you may qualify for SSI or SSDI and have not applied, or if you were denied.
One caution. SAMHSA stopped funding the national SOAR Technical Assistance Center in August 2025. The center trained and certified SOAR caseworkers. Many state and local systems still use SOAR, but a certified caseworker may be harder to find in some areas. Ask your Continuum of Care, Area Agency on Aging or a local homeless-services nonprofit whether one is available near you.
People 65 or older with very low income can apply for SSI on the basis of age, without proving disability. Our SSI eligibility calculator shows the limits.
Where Medicare and Medicaid fit in
Medicare is health insurance. It does not pay rent, shelter costs or room and board, however fragile a person's health is.
Medicaid can pay for some home and community-based care services. It does not pay rent or room and board, in assisted living or anywhere else, as explained in does Medicaid pay for assisted living.
Housing help comes through HUD and local homeless services. Keep your Medicare and Medicaid active, though. Tell both programs how to reach you if you lose your address, since missed mail can end coverage.
If you are worried but still housed
Acting early gives you more options:
- Apply now to subsidized housing lists. See senior housing with shorter waits.
- Check benefits that free up money for rent: SNAP, LIHEAP and a Medicare Savings Program.
- If you are behind on utilities, read the utility shutoff protection guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a senior facing homelessness or eviction do first?
Call 211 or the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. Both connect you to your local Area Agency on Aging and to your community's Continuum of Care, which handles emergency shelter, rapid re-housing and referrals to senior housing programs. If you have an eviction notice, call legal aid as well.
Does Medicare or Medicaid pay for housing or rent?
Generally, no. Medicare covers medical care and does not pay rent, shelter costs or room and board. Medicaid can fund some home and community-based care services, but it does not pay rent or room and board. Housing assistance comes mainly from HUD programs.
What is HUD's Continuum of Care program?
The Continuum of Care (CoC) is HUD's network of local planning bodies, one for most metro areas and regions. Each coordinates homelessness assistance in its community: emergency shelter, rapid re-housing, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing. You reach yours through 211 or HUD's online resource locator.
What is the SOAR program?
SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) is a federally backed model that trains caseworkers to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and who have a serious mental illness or other significant impairment, apply for SSI or SSDI. SOAR-assisted applications are approved at a much higher rate than unassisted ones. National funding changed in 2025, so ask your Area Agency on Aging or Continuum of Care whether a SOAR-trained caseworker is available near you.
Are HUD Section 202 senior housing and Area Agencies on Aging useful if I'm not homeless yet, just worried about it?
Yes, and the earlier the better. HUD Section 202 provides subsidized housing for low-income seniors, and your Area Agency on Aging can connect you to benefits counseling, meal programs and case management that can prevent a housing crisis.
This article describes general federal homelessness-assistance resources as of October 2026 and is not legal, medical or financial advice. Local availability, wait times and eligibility rules vary and change. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or crisis, call 911 or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For non-emergency housing help, start with 211 or the Eldercare Locator.