A special screening and panel discussion of “No Place to Grow Old” documentary took place at the Iowa City Water Treatment Center Thursday, featuring a group of experts on homelessness.
Davey Schaupp, a filmmaker who grew up between the Southern U.S. and East Africa with a strong sense of curiosity and a deep hunger for stories, directed the documentary.
The film takes place in Portland, Oregon and follows three older citizens, with ages ranging from 59 to 71, as they recount the harsh realities and struggles surrounding the housing crisis.
The Iowa City Office of Human Rights screened the film Thursday at Iowa City’s Water Treatment Center.
“I think this documentary is really the kick some need to realize how big this problem actually is. All my life we’ve been doing okay, but recently, everything’s been so much more expensive and it’s just getting harder to get by,” audience member Kevin Anderson said.
Following the film, guests were encouraged to ask questions to a board of local experts, including Elizabeth Norris, a representative for Iowa Legal Aid, Rachel Carr, director of Data Analytics and Compliance for Shelter House Iowa City, and Rachael Carter, Iowa City’s Housing Administrator.
The documentary showed that, for many, homelessness is an unavoidable thing. One subject, Herbert Olive, learned the value of hard work at a young age.
He was known as “Hustlin’ Herb” all around his community because of his work ethic. However, he lost his home due to the fallout from a predatory loan scam, and is now struggling to keep his housing stability. At 72, Olive still struggles with housing security, even after a lifetime of work.
After the screening, Norris spoke about other ways seniors can experience homelessness.
“I could probably name 200 reasons as to why someone can’t save money. I probably qualify for 78 of them,” Norris said. “But I think, you know, if we look at the economy right now, it’s a real struggle for anyone to be able to save money.”
About 146,000 older U.S. adults experienced homelessness in 2024, according to the most recent data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is a 6 percent jump from 2023.
In addition to talking about the financial aspect, experts also stressed the importance of the event for engagement.
“This is a national problem happening in every major city, that older adults are entering into homelessness alarmingly more frequent than the past,” Carter said. “We’re trying to raise awareness so that we can better focus on protecting this population of people, to make sure people aren’t retiring and then entering into homelessness for the first time in their lives, or having to be in and out of housing their whole life.”
For those looking to offer their help in any way they can, Norris mentioned many different routes. At the local level, citizens can support local nonprofits surrounding homelessness issues, and Norris also stressed the importance of advocating and petitioning for things like increasing affordable housing budgets, full funding of emergency shelter, and more permanent support options.