Seniors and Poverty: What You Might Not Know

How a simple car donation in Cincinnati can fund relief programs

Debates over how to fix Social Security, Medicare, and other programs benefitting seniors are nothing new. These arguments serve as a perennial sticking point that Republicans and Democrats squabble over in an attempt to convince the general public that their side has all the answers.

But while politicians and pundits are jousting over moral high ground, a lot of people are forgetting about the real issue.

Poverty among seniors is increasing.

A serious, growing problem

According to the U.S. Census Supplemental Poverty Measure, 15 percent of all people ages 65 or older are living in poverty. That’s a staggering 6.4 million seniors who are struggling to pay rent, mortgages, medical bills, and daily expenses.

Additionally, as people begin to live longer lives, the senior demographic is increasing. In fact, over 10,000 people in America turn 65 every day.

This means that in just 16 years, there will be about 72 million seniors living in America, and if the poverty rate continues to remain at 15 percent, the total number of impoverished seniors will be over 11 million by the year 2030.

What’s more, if assistance programs like Medicare and Social Security are reduced or cut, the numbers could be even higher.

The top 4 causes of senior poverty

The root of these issues isn’t due to a single cause. Unfortunately, there are a multitude of factors making it increasingly difficult for seniors to maintain a healthy standard of living in America, including:

• Rising healthcare costs
• Housing crash resulting in loss of equity or loss of housing
• Recession making it difficult to find employment
• Economic factors forcing seniors to dig into their life savings more often

These combined circumstances have made the goal of a comfortable retirement extremely challenging.

Donate your car in Cincinnati to help Ohio seniors

This is a problem that affects all of us. Whether it’s helping today’s seniors that need shelter and supplies, or securing our own future for when we get older, it’s important that we give seniors the help and security they need to live a comfortable life.

At Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio, we’re helping many seniors who continue to struggle. From senior veterans to those who need housing assistance, many seniors rely on the programs we offer for support.

You can help continue to fund our programs to help more people in need, like many seniors, get the support they need by donating your car to Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio in Cincinnati, Ohio. We can arrange free same-day towing for almost any vehicle, including tractors, boats and RVs—even if it’s not running. Plus, you might end up getting more for your vehicle as a tax-deductible donation than you would selling it yourself.

So, if you’ve got an old clunker in your garage, or a fixer-upper you’ll never get around to repairing, donate it to Volunteers of America, and help us assist those in all of the Ohio communities we serve.

Fill out the car donation form, or contact the Car Donation & Auction Office at 614-870-7511 if you have any questions.