Emergency and Transitional Housing for Older Adults
 

By Rachel Lerner, Esq., Executive Director at Hebrew Senior Life CPEAN

July 2025

Thanks to grant funding from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), emergency and transitional housing for older adults facing abuse, neglect, and exploitation in Eastern Massachusetts has been greatly expanded. The Center for Protection of Elderly Adults Now (CPEAN) — the state’s only shelter dedicated to this population — has increased shelter space by 60% and partnered with four adult protective services (APS) agencies across 30+ communities, including Boston. With these resources, CPEAN now delivers trauma-informed, age-sensitive housing that prioritizes stability and dignity, making it a vital safety net for older adults in crisis.

We spoke with Rachel Lerner, Esq., executive director at Hebrew Senior Life CPEAN, about the impact these shelters have on their work and the people they serve.

How has the recently awarded grant funding from ACL impacted emergency and transitional housing for older adults experiencing abuse, neglect, and exploitation? 

In Eastern Massachusetts, the ACL funding has been an absolute game-changer. At CPEAN, the only emergency and transitional housing provider in Massachusetts exclusively for older adults experiencing abuse, neglect, and exploitation, the funding has allowed us to expand our shelter space by 60% and explore ways to serve and advocate for this unique population even more effectively. With the ACL funding, CPEAN now has the capacity and expertise to provide trauma-informed, age-sensitive housing placement services directly to our clients, meaning the older adults we serve are able to transition to permanent housing more quickly and with more support. The ACL funding has also allowed us to partner with four APS agencies covering over 30 cities and towns, including Boston, to ensure that more older adults who cannot remain safe at home due to abuse, neglect, or exploitation can access our age-friendly, supportive shelter program. We have also been able to educate more professionals who encounter older adults in places like traditional homeless shelters or hospitals about the signs and symptoms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation and the resources that are available so these vulnerable individuals do not continue to bounce from one inappropriate place to the next. 

What innovative approaches have you developed to address the unique needs of older adults in emergency shelters? 

We engage in a comprehensive intake process for all new shelter clients that allows us to understand not only what supports and services each client might require while sheltering with us, but also how we might best prepare them to transition to their next, more permanent setting. We assess things like what advance directives are already in place, do they need assistance with applying for benefit programs that may require retrieval of paperwork and/or completion of complicated online forms, do they need support with procuring medications or supplies from a local pharmacy, do they know how to travel to their health care providers and/or social supports while in shelter and once they transition out of shelter, would they benefit from housekeeping services in their room while in shelter and will they need homemaker supports once they transition out of shelter, etc. For clients who seem at higher risk for falls, we provide information on fall prevention, and we offer personal emergency response system (PERS) pendants to help clients feel more connected in the event of a fall. We are also constantly reassessing our physical shelter spaces to ensure as safe and comfortable an experience as possible, with upgrades like shower chairs, in-room mini fridges and lock boxes for those clients that prefer to have certain items within arm’s reach, shelter automated entry so clients who rely on ambulatory aids do not have to wrestle with a heavy door, no trip hazards on any of the floors, large-print welcome materials, clocks and phones that are appropriate for the visual or hearing impaired, etc. 

Why are elder shelters crucial for addressing the gaps in housing and services for older adults facing maltreatment, and why should other states consider this option? 

Elder shelters fill the crucial void between traditional homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and nursing homes. In our work, we routinely hear professionals in the transitional housing and shelter provider field, as well as the senior services field, lament the lack of shelter and supports available for older adults — let alone for those who are facing maltreatment or suffering trauma. During our recent interviews and focus groups with four APS directors and over 50 protective services (PS) caseworkers, we heard about the “stigma of shelter.” PS workers reported that older adults facing maltreatment understand “shelter” as a place that is unsafe and inaccessible for someone like them — someone who might move more slowly or use a cane or walker, or have some visual or hearing impairment, or not be able to depart early in the morning, wander the streets, and stand in line to get back in later that night. In the domestic violence space, domestic violence shelters are often focused on supporting younger survivors and perhaps their school-age children, and not necessarily the unique needs or sensitivities of an older adult survivor. And while nursing homes may provide a safe physical space and necessary health care for an older adult who has experienced abuse, neglect, or exploitation, they are not typically equipped to provide trauma-informed, comprehensive support and transitional services — nor are they a preferred setting for someone who may not necessarily require 24/7 care. 
 

Elder shelter uniquely provides a safe space and transitional services and supports in a manner that is both trauma-informed and age-friendly, and every state should have at least one such program. As we fight to ensure more people are aware of the travesty of elder abuse, and that more older adults feel comfortable speaking up and asking for help, we must be ready to help them. 

The APS Blog is updated regularly with posts from contributing authors and new publications from the APS TARC.

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