The Seniors’ Advocate’s latest report on seniors’ wellbeing shows that 21 per cent of emergency shelter users are people 55 years of age or older, and 9 per cent of people experiencing homelessness for the first time are 55 or older.

Those statistics are borne out by what’s being seen at The Gathering Place.

Executive Director Paul Davis says demand continues to rise and he’s seeing new faces every day.

“Affordable housing is just not available anymore,” says Davis. “We’re seeing people in their 70s who end up in our shelter, who have never been in a shelter before and who have been living in an apartment for the last 20 years and they’re spending $600 or $700 a month on rent. Then, the landlord gives them 3 months’ notice that the apartment is being upgraded and the rent is increasing dramatically.”

He says then they can’t find a place that they can afford, and have to go to a shelter.