AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Seniors are the fastest growing homeless population across the country, but most homeless shelters aren't designed to accommodate them. It can be hard to climb in and out of bunk beds, keep track of medications and share communal bathrooms. Now some new shelters are trying to tackle those issues. Aaron Bolton from Montana Public Radio takes us inside one facility built for medically vulnerable people.
AARON BOLTON, BYLINE: Just outside of Salt Lake City is the MVP homeless shelter. It's an old, two-story brick hotel that was remodeled to serve people 62 and older or those with severe health problems. Fifty-three-year-old Jamie Mangum is in the second category because of lung cancer. Today, she's in the shelter's clinic, chatting with a medical technician. This isn't a service most shelters can offer.
JAMIE MANGUM: Well, I tripped, kind of fell. Then I really fell, like, about 10 minutes later.
BOLTON: Mangum's wrist is swollen from the fall, and she quickly gets it wrapped up.
MANGUM: Especially with 9 out of 10 pain.
BOLTON: Mangum says in other shelters she stayed in, she'd likely have to find her own way to an urgent care clinic or get an ambulance ride. Once Mangum is treated, she walks upstairs to her room. The MVP is designed to be physically accessible for seniors with walkers and wheelchairs. Instead of open spaces with dozens or hundreds of beds, two or three residents share a room. Private bathrooms are a big deal for this population.
BALEIGH DELLOS: They're able to take longer also in the bathroom and not be afraid of people getting upset.
BOLTON: Baleigh Dellos manages the MVP shelter for The Road Home, a local nonprofit. Traditional shelters sometimes ask seniors to leave because they're unable to care for themselves. MVP was designed to be different.
DELLOS: We have clients that need memory care also that - maybe they were living independently before, but they were unable to maintain that and got evicted due to dementia or different things like that.
BOLTON: The staff includes on-site medical case managers. Primary care doctors and therapists visit weekly. In addition to the clinic, there are even private spaces for physical therapy. Matt Haroldsen manages medical services at the shelter. He says, the first thing most residents need help with is medication.
MATT HAROLDSEN: A lot of what our patients face on the streets is that their medications get jacked when they're in their camps.
BOLTON: Insulin is a special problem living on the street.
HAROLDSEN: Yeah, to keep it cold, they buy it underground.
BOLTON: Helping the residents manage their medications helps them stabilize their health.
HAROLDSEN: Especially when it comes to mental health, it's, like, a game changer.
BOLTON: Nonprofits and local governments are trying to build shelters for seniors in places like Florida, California and Arizona. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council says addressing seniors' medical problems is key to helping them get and keep permanent housing.
Jacob Turner is with the TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness in Florida. The nonprofit runs a shelter in Fort Lauderdale called Elder Haven.
JACOB TURNER: Over 80% of the people who have stayed in our program this past year have moved into stable or permanent housing.
BOLTON: The MVP shelter in Salt Lake City is also having good success. So far this year, staff have found permanent housing for 36 seniors.
JEFF GREGG: Hey, Ruffy. How you doing? You good?
BOLTON: Outside the MVP shelter, 62-year-old Jeff Gregg is playing fetch with his dog, Ruffy. An old back injury keeps him hunched over, even while he throws the ball. It also fueled a decades-long addiction to opioids.
GREGG: Fighting that, having a job, insurance, then losing the job, not having insurance, and then going out to the street. And then I'd just be right back in the same position.
BOLTON: Greg says, sobriety took a backseat to more immediate needs, like finding food and a bed and a shelter. He says the MVP was the first place where he could relax and focus on recovery.
GREGG: I was able to get clean. It took me a couple months, but I just kept plucking away.
BOLTON: He says, that paved the way for him to finally schedule back surgery. He hopes with less back pain, he can get a job to help him afford an apartment. For NPR News, I'm Aaron Bolton in Sandy, Utah.
RASCOE: This story comes from NPR's partnership with Montana Public Radio and KFF Health News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.