Older adults in Lee County struggle with homelessness as housing costs rise

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Older adults in Lee County are facing a growing homelessness crisis, driven by rising housing costs and the lingering effects of Hurricane Ian.

The Southwest Florida Coalition to End Homelessness reports that homelessness in Lee County is nearing 1,000 people in 2024, though the organization estimates this is only about a third of the actual number of people living on the streets.

At the Community Cooperative Friday on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard in Fort Myers, nearly 100 people, many over the age of 55, came in for a hot meal. Among them was 68-year-old Valarie Stossel, who said, "My Social Security doesn't come until next week, so I'm broke until then, and I need $400 today, or else I'm out on the street again."

Stossel, who pays $400 a week to rent a motel room, described her situation as frightening. "I don't want to be in a shelter. It's not a good thing. If I have to, then I have to. If they don't have a bed, I'm on the street," she said.

Others, like Allen Crane, have resorted to living in makeshift camps. "I experienced homelessness, so I built a camp in the woods because I can't afford to pay rent right now," Crane said. He explained that his situation changed after he was hit by a car while working in road construction, leaving him partially disabled. Crane, who turns 62 in June, hopes Social Security will provide some relief. "Without an income, you're not getting anywhere," he said.

"We are seeing seniors who have been priced out of the rental market," Heather Singleton, director of social services at the Community Cooperative, said. "I myself received about 60 phone calls a day from people who are in crisis."

Michael Overway, with the Southwest Florida Regional Coalition for Homelessness, noted that older adult homelessness has been increasing at a greater rate since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We've seen seniors entering into homelessness at a greater rate than we had prior to COVID," Overway said. He warned of a looming crisis if action is not taken. "We absolutely have to be addressing the problem of senior homelessness before it gets so out of hand that it's going to become an issue of uncontrolled homelessness," he said.

Stossel expressed her frustration with the growing crisis. "It's 2026, and things are not affordable anymore," she said.

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