NANAIMO'S QUIET SENIORS CRISIS

 

A Quiet Crisis: Seniors, Shelters & Food; They don't cause a fuss - they go unseen

In the growing conversation about homelessness in Nanaimo, one group is quietly slipping through the cracks: low-income seniors. Unlike the street-entrenched populations dealing with addiction or mental health issues, these are often long-time residents, now living on fixed pensions that no longer match the brutal reality of Nanaimo’s housing market.

They don’t cause public disturbances. They don’t occupy tents in the city core. They don’t provoke police calls. So, they’re largely ignored.

But credible national and provincial data show their numbers are growing. In British Columbia, nearly 15% of seniors now live below the poverty line, and many are spending over 75% of their income just to rent a one-bedroom apartment. The problem isn’t moral failing — it’s economic design.

In shelters across Canada, adults over 50 now account for nearly one-third of all users. Most don’t have addictions or mental illness. They’re simply out of options.

In Nanaimo, city policy and media attention focus heavily on those creating visible disorder. Meanwhile, older residents — often taxpayers their whole lives — quietly slip into homelessness without protest.

Worse yet, some Canadians are now reportedly seeking access to MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) because they can’t find secure housing. Whether or not it’s intended, this raises chilling questions: has assisted death become a final escape route for seniors failed by public policy?

Canada once aspired to ensure that its elderly could age with dignity. That promise is eroding. Without urgent housing reform, indexed pensions, and a realignment of priorities at all levels of government, more of our seniors will face a brutal choice: poverty, precarity—or disappearing entirely from public view.

This isn’t just a housing issue. It’s a moral one.

Former City Councilor and President of the 7-10 Club Gord Fuller said, "The numbers overall are growing, which is most noticeable among Seniors and those with the dual diagnosis of MH + Substance Issues." Fuller's observation comes from someone with over 30 years experience working with the homeless and feeding anyone in need in both a hands on capacity and running local programs.

Fuller says his observations span the tenure of all political parties and is due in part to dumb political decisions being applied to how pension incomes are calculated. He used his own situation as an example His income was $1900 /mo. coming from OAS, CPP, and the GIS. This income was reduced to $1400/mo. because he earned a few hundred dollars over the 'allowed' limit to qualify for the full pension. He said that if it were not for living with his family, he too would be on the street.

The BC  government SAFER (Shelter aid for elderly renters) program helps make shelter affordable for BC seniors with moderate incomes. If you are over 60 with an annual income less than $40,000 and pay more than 30% of your income on rent, you may qualify for help paying your rent. Visit the SAFER website HERE.