For some, homelessness has been a condition stemming from poverty lingering over many years, but others are stunned when they end up on the streets at the stage in life that should have provided a haven.

There is a wave of homeless seniors that, advocates fear, will continue to build as the baby boomers age and wash over the state, Oahu in particular. It’s already a reality for 67-year-old Marvin Boyd, who tried to find subsidized housing closer to Honolulu but landed on the streets instead.

Home for him is now the Institute for Human Services (IHS) in Iwilei, where he is getting some needed help. He urges others to seek shelter, too. His advice to them: “You know, things could be a whole lot better for you if you would just cooperate with the system.”

But in addition to steering more people in the direction of existing services, the plain fact is more should be done to head off the crisis before it gets worse. There are multiple strategies that, experts agree, could be deployed.

First, though, it’s necessary for policymakers, and the taxpaying public that prods them forward, to understand the scale of the problem they confront.

According to U.S. Census data based on population estimates from July 2022, Hawaii ranks sixth among states with the most seniors per capita: 20 out of 100 people are age 65 or older. That’s a rate that’s only going to increase, as the long-anticipated “silver tsunami” starts to crest.

Another uncomfortable statistic: The cost of living here is about 81.5% higher than the U.S. average.

Connie Mitchell, IHS executive director, concluded in a recent commentary published in the Star-Advertiser that because seniors represent a large share of Hawaii’s population, they also are a disproportionate population in shelters. A recent Star-Advertiser story included a census count from the weekend of Jan. 28, when 114 adults over 55 lived at IHS shelters, and 46 of them were over age 65. Seniors represented 33.6% of all shelter guests.

But Hawaii is also uniquely well positioned to innovate with new approaches, Mitchell wrote. Among these are initiatives designed to support senior needs so that they are much less likely to fall into homelessness.

“Policymakers are urged to implement preventative resources, aid for living expenses, expand affordable housing options, enhance HCBS (home and community-based services) coverage, improve data collection, and strengthen cross-system coordination,” she wrote.

There is pending legislation with such goals in mind. Gov. Josh Green’s launch of “kauhale” villages for the medically fragile last year, starting with the temporary one opposite The Queen’s Medical Center on Punchbowl Street, was not entirely for kupuna. But clearly the populations overlap — many seniors are among those whose homelessness has worsened their failing health.

Several bills introduced by the Kupuna Caucus, a group of lawmakers advocating for senior interests, would qualify. Primary among these, the measure that is the highest priority for AARP-Hawaii, is Senate Bill 2473 and its companion, House Bill 1769, to create a refundable tax credit for unpaid family caregivers.

Last week, HB 1769 was the first to move, passing the Committee on Human Services, which amended it to push forward the credit to take effect starting with the 2025 tax year. The delay, according to the state Department of Taxation, would enable the agency to update its computer systems and to educate taxpayers about the benefit. Public awareness is key.

Keali‘i Lopez, AARP-Hawaii’s state director, said the organization is advocating for the change because supporting family caregivers is the means to provide seniors with a way to “age in place.” Most seniors would prefer to stay in their own home, she said, and this would save public funds that are tapped to subsidize fees for more institutional settings.

But there are costs, and caregivers need help covering those, she added. She pointed to a 2021 AARP study showing that the average out-of-pocket expense for family caregivers is $7,242. The tax credit would help to defray those costs, Lopez said.

This measure is part of a continuum of programs aimed at helping seniors be better prepared for managing household needs. In 2022 the Legislature passed a bill to establish a voluntary retirement savings account into which, starting in 2025, working adults can make deposits as a payroll deduction.

For the near term, it is crucial to have systems to enable self-care and help keep seniors housed. These include continued support for the state’s Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership that provides outreach to seniors; HB 1771 would bolster those funds.

Investments in housing programs through transit-oriented development, fostering diverse neighborhoods that include more seniors, must remain part of longer-range planning. With the wave of new retirees now in plain view, Hawaii must strive to create communities that are home to everyone, old and young.