SANDY, Utah — Just outside Salt Lake City sits an old, two-story, brick hotel. It’s been given new life as a homeless shelter for seniors. The Medically Vulnerable People shelter — or MVP shelter, as it’s known — is for people 62 and older or for younger adults with chronic health issues.
Residents share rooms designed to be accessible to those with mobility issues. There are also private bathrooms, which are a big deal for seniors struggling with incontinence.
Unlike the MVP, most homeless shelters aren’t equipped to help seniors, especially those 65 and older. They are the fastest-growing homeless population nationwide, according to Dennis Culhane, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Not only are people who struggle with chronic homelessness aging, but many seniors are becoming homeless for the first time in their lives.
Getting in and out of bunks, managing medications, and making it to a shared bathroom in time are among the major challenges of shelter life for older adults. Staff at traditional shelters sometimes ask seniors to leave if they’re unable to care for themselves.
The MVP is unusual among shelters because it provides on-site medical care to better serve its residents as they age.
Last spring, Jamie Mangum, who is in her 50s and has lung cancer, tripped and fell in her room. To visit with an emergency medical technician, she needed only to make it downstairs. Her swollen wrist …