Long Beach needs to come up with at least $10 million to open the senior safe home.
The Long Beach City Council voted to look into the feasibility of creating a shelter for victims of elder abuse in February 2023. But over a year later, the fate of the possible shelter is still up in the air.
During the Feb. 14, 2023 city council meeting, councilmembers unanimously voted for city staff to research the financial cost of creating a shelter for victims of elder abuse, and to identify government-owned buildings where the shelter could operate. City staff later presented the requested information to the city council in a private presentation.
Vice Mayor Cindy Allen initially brought the item to the city council, along with Councilmember Mary Zendejas.
In a December 2023 report, Long Beach City staff determined it would cost between $10 million to $20 million from the general fund to create the senior shelter, and an additional $1 million annually to operate it, which the city is unable to provide.
When asked how likely she believed it was that the senior shelter would eventually open, Allen said “That’s hard to say. […] I wouldn’t say that this is dead on arrival. I think that there’s a lot of hope here. We’ve just got to figure it out.”
The City reached out to Janice Hahn of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to ask for support and funding to help create the shelter, said Naida Tushnet, former chair of the City’s Advisory Commission On Aging. Tushnet said Hanh’s office is currently doing an exploration of potential sites for the shelter.
When asked if the City planned to do any public presentations on the progress of the shelter during upcoming city council and commission meetings, Allen said there were currently no set plans to do so, but she and her staff are looking into it.
The World Health Organization defines elder abuse as “an intentional act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes harm to an adult 60 years and older.” Elder abuse can range from physical, mental, emotional, sexual and financial abuse.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, around one in 10 seniors in the United States experience elder abuse. This number spiked during the pandemic to one in five.
There is currently only one shelter specifically for victims of elder abuse west of the Mississippi River. The senior safe home is run by Volunteers of America, has a total of six beds, and a maximum stay time of 30 days.
“We have seniors that will qualify for senior housing, but if you’re abused and you don’t meet that criteria, then there’s really no place for you.”
– Vice Mayor Cindy Allen
According to a 2023 article published in the academic journal Home Healthcare Now, 60% of perpetrators who commit elder abuse are related to their victim. In two out of three elder abuse cases, the perpetrator is a spouse or adult child.
Los Angeles County Adult Protective Services (APS) recorded nearly 29,000 cases of elder abuse in 2021. In 10% of those cases, victims were in danger of losing their homes. The Long Beach Age-Friendly Community Gap Analysis published by the City in 2018 found that for every 200 cases of reported elder abuse, there was only one APS caseworker available.
The City of Long Beach operates the Senior Links program through its health department, which connects seniors to nursing and social work services. Workers in the Senior Links program are mandated reporters, and reported 43 cases of suspected elder abuse to Adult Protective Service between Jan. 1, 2022 and July 10, 2023, Allen said.
Allen said that although the city has increased its stock of affordable senior housing by 500 units over the last decade, not all victims of elder abuse may qualify for them.
“What do we do with that little gap? We have seniors that will qualify for senior housing, but if you’re abused and you don’t meet that criteria, then there’s really no place for you,” Allen told the Signal Tribune.
Tushnet said that while there are some county-funded services for victims of elder abuse, there is a lack of available long-term housing for them, and shelters can be especially difficult to navigate at their age. Shelters tend to be populated by younger people, who may suffer from substance abuse or mental health issues.
“Shelters are very difficult for seniors because they don’t feel safe there […],” Tushnet said. “It’s loud. It’s noisy. The shelters are fairly chaotic. They don’t have privacy.”
Related Reading:
