BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) – While overall homelessness in the U.S. saw a small drop in 2025, rates for older adults have been increasing. Adults aged 55 and older represent a rapidly growing portion of the newly unhoused. Here in Central Illinois, that number is also growing.
The Salvation Army of Bloomington said it has seen an increase in elderly county residents seeking shelter because they became unhoused, or coming to its food pantry for assistance, up nearly 25-30% since 2022.
Since 2024, the number of elderly people who use the pantry has increased by 10% so far this year. Serving a total of 400 each month, about 100 of those are elderly, over the age of 55. Many of those are first-timers at a food pantry.
“That is a comment that we get almost every week,” said Deborah Cole, Development Director for the Salvation Army of Bloomington.
“They tell us that ‘We’ve never needed to use a food pantry.’ They said the bills, the increased utilities, and the cost of groceries has outpaced their Social Security or retirement income.”
Cole adds that many of those seniors sometimes leave in tears after stocking up on food, because they had to choose between paying for food and paying for medical bills that month.
The food pantry is self-served and also provides pet food through the Humane Society of Central Illinois.
Behind the food pantry is the Salvation Army’s Safe Harbor Shelter, which not only provides residential living, also known as transitional housing, but also offers a multitude of resources for those in need around McLean County.
In the shelter, nearly one-third are over the age of 55, with 82 living there so far this year, on track to exceed the previous year. In 2025, the total was 92. Back in 2022, that number was only 54.
One of the current elderly residents at the shelter said that although his time there is coming to an end, he has found a place to call family and the resources he needs to get back on his feet.
That resident is John Burton, 62, who unexpectedly lost his job and home at the same time not too long ago.
Burton said he enjoyed his life with the job he had, working in revitalizing homes for a rental property owner in Bloomington/Normal. Burton even lived in one of those rental properties. Unfortunately, the owner passed away after surgery. His wife sold off the business and all the properties, leaving Burton without a job and with no family nearby to help him.
“When it first happened, I was just kind of overwhelmed, maybe? Is the best way to put it. I was in a state of shock,” said Burton.
Burton did attempt to go to a shelter when it all happened, but both the Salvation Army and another nearby shelter had a waiting list. He lived in the woods of McLean County until a spot opened up for him at the Salvation Army shelter shortly after.
Even before he was given a bed of his own at the shelter, Burton said one of the Salvation Army workers, named Dora, was his “heaven-sent” for aiding him throughout the process. From getting a background check to a referral, he recalls Dora making him feel at home even after finally stepping foot in the door.
“You know, just in a state of shock, and it was full [in the cafeteria.] I think it was actually lunchtime. The place was full, so I kinda… but Dora said, ‘We are family here, don’t be afraid, let me show you back here,’ and walked me back, and I’ll never forget that,” said Burton.
Since arriving at the shelter, he has benefited from the resources and activities the shelter offers to other residents.
With his eight-week limit at the shelter almost up, he is hoping to find stable housing, has some options he is considering, and has found support outside the shelter. Burton said he wants people to understand the elderly who are experiencing being unhoused.
“It’s an overwhelming situation and to just try to put themselves in our self, ya know? What we’re going through,” said Burton.
“It’s such a shock. And then especially for elder people it might even trigger something like dementia or something, you know what I mean? It’s just like such a state of shock, and please give the elder people a little break, you know what I mean? Just being an elderly can be a struggle.”
Kiowna Towns, Director of Residential Services for Salvation Army Bloomington’s Safe Harbor Shelter, said she has seen an increase in the shelter’s population, and they have done their best to accommodate the needs of the elders.
“We’re just an organization with a big heart, with a passion and compassion for the community we serve, trying to fill a gap in our community and make sure they are served to the best of our ability,” said Towns, adding she has a passion for helping older people from her own experiences being raised by her grandparents.
Although the shelter cannot include some necessities elders need, such as bed rails, Towns said the shelter is ADA-accessible. They also work with the ARC Center in Normal, which provides support and assistance services for senior citizens throughout McLean County. They also work with other agencies that help elders find work, if they would like, or that drive them to their medical appointments or pick up medicine.
“When a person has the care facilities, manage care, and also wraparound services that are available to help them, their quality of life will be better.”
Towns said that the shelter has five tiers of services, but the day center service at the shelter serves some of the most seniors, almost 40%, according to Towns. The elderly can access a case manager, lockers, laundry, and showers during that time. The numbers increase at extremely low or high temperatures.
The rise in the number of people aged 55 and older becoming unhoused or needing food assistance is not unique to McLean County.
Tessa Mahoney, Executive Director at Age Central in Peoria, said that they have seen an increase across Central Illinois. They track data specifically in Peoria, Marshall, Fulton, Tazewell, Stark, and Woodford Counties.
“People 65 and older went from 30% to 43%. People 55 and older went from 113% to 133%, and people in our region, 1 in 5, who are 55 and older, are experiencing homelessness,” said Mahoney.
She adds that the high numbers are due to an aging population. Mahoney said more people are aging now than ever before, which is why there is an increase in the number of people 55 and over becoming unhoused. While elders have aged, shelters have not, she added.
“I think it’s important the community is aware of this issue, especially as the population continues to age and what it means to have accessible resources for older adults,” said Mahoney.
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