A Community-Engaged Ethnographic Investigation into Public Transit Among Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness

Nearly 50% of single homeless adults are over the age of 50, and adults aged 50 years and older are the fastest growing subpopulation of the homeless in the U.S. This subpopulation has unique mobility needs and barriers to transportation. We used rapid ethnographic assessments to explore the practices, needs, perceptions, and values of unhoused older adults in relation to their efforts to access and navigate health and social services via public transit. We conducted 23 observations of 12 participants as they navigated public transit to meet their travel needs. Our data consist of 65 h of observations with field notes, walking interviews, and travel diaries. Two themes—waiting and friction—encompassed participants’ experiences of mobility and their ongoing negotiations that involved time, space, individual ability, and interpersonal interactions within their environmental context. For this population, attainment of housing and improved health and well-being is contingent on access to reliable transportation—a condition that is not met in many communities. For the participants in our study, the physical demands of accessing public transit combined with the cognitive load of interpreting multi-step directions in specific time schedules were often insurmountable. The public transit system was often hostile, such that participants were stigmatized and segregated. Professionals who work with older homeless individuals must consider the capacity of their clients to successfully navigate public transit, and policymakers should consider the transit needs of their entire population when designing transit systems.