Among the growing population experiencing homelessness in California and nationally, older adults are the fastest-growing segment. The circumstances that trigger homelessness in older adults are often different than those for younger people, and older adults experiencing homelessness are often at risk for worse health outcomes, including much higher mortality.

CalAIM, California’s Medicaid transformation initiative, offers new opportunities to help address the needs of the growing number of older adults experiencing homelessness. Drawing from literature reviews, expert interviews, and examples from other states, this brief provides an overview of California’s population of older adults experiencing homelessness, describes CalAIM initiatives that can help address homelessness among older adults with disabilities or complex care needs or both, and highlights the challenges and opportunities for improving services and outcomes for this population.