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business Monday 11 april 2022
America's homeless ranks graying as more retire on streets

By ANITA SNOW vania drew on 30 years of
Associated Press census data to project the
PHOENIX (AP) — Karla Fin- U.S. population of people
occhio's slide into home- 65 and older experiencing
lessness began when she homelessness will nearly
split with her partner of triple from 40,000 to 106,000
18 years and temporarily by 2030, resulting in a pub-
moved in with a cousin. lic health crisis as their age-
The 55-year-old planned related medical problems
to use her $800-a-month multiply.
disability check to get an Dr. Margot Kushel, a physi-
apartment after back sur- cian who directs the Cen-
gery. But she soon was ter for Vulnerable Popula-
sleeping in her old pickup tions at the University of
protected by her German California, San Francisco,
Shepherd mix Scrappy, said her research in Oak-
unable to afford housing land on how homelessness
in Phoenix, where median affects health has shown
monthly rents soared 33% nearly half of the tens of
during the coronavirus pan- thousands of older home-
demic to over $1,220 for a less people in the U.S. are
one-bedroom, according on the streets for the first
to ApartmentList.com. Karla Finocchio, 55, tears up as she talks about being a homeless woman on the streets, Monday, time.
Finocchio is one face of Jan. 24, 2022, in Phoenix. "We are seeing that retire-
America's graying home- Associated Press ment is no longer the gold-
less population, a rapidly en dream," said Kushel. "A
expanding group of desti- ple being pushed into the the aging homeless have of a sudden things went lot of the working poor are
tute and desperate people streets by rising rents." medical ages greater than downhill." destined to retire onto the
50 and older suddenly with- Academics project their their years, with mobil- Corley traveled all night streets."
out a permanent home af- numbers will nearly triple ity, cognitive and chronic aboard buses and rode That's especially true of
ter a job loss, divorce, fam- over the next decade, problems like diabetes. commuter trains to catch a younger baby boomers,
ily death or health crisis dur- challenging policy makers Many contracted COV- cat nap. now in their late 50s to late
ing a pandemic. from Los Angeles to New ID-19 or couldn't work be- "And then I would go to 60s, who don't have pen-
"We're seeing a huge York to imagine new ideas cause of pandemic restric- Union Station downtown sions or 401(k) accounts.
boom in senior homeless- for sheltering the last of the tions. and wash up in the bath- About half of both women
ness," said Kendra Hendry, baby boomers as they get Cardelia Corley, 65, end- room," said Corley. She re- and men ages 55 to 66
a caseworker at Arizona's older, sicker and less able ed up on the streets of Los cently moved into a small have no retirement savings,
largest shelter, where old- to pay spiraling rents. Advo- Angeles County after the East Hollywood apartment according to the census.
er people make up about cates say much more hous- hours at her telemarketing with help from The People Born between 1946 and
30% of those staying there. ing is needed, especially job were cut. Concern, a Los Angeles 1964, baby boomers now
"These are not necessarily for extremely low-income "I'd always worked, been nonprofit. number over 70 million, the
people who have mental people. successful, put my kid A 2019 study of aging census shows. With the old-
illness or substance abuse Navigating sidewalks in through college," the single homeless people led by est boomers in their mid 70s,
problems. They are peo- wheelchairs and walkers, mother said. "And then all the University of Pennsyl- all will hit age 65 by 2030.q

Walmart, Kohl's settle over 'eco-friendly' rayon products

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO way, the commission said director of the FTC's Bureau
The Associated Press Friday. of Consumer Protection, in
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart Rayon is a synthetic fiber a statement.
and Kohl's are paying a that is made with plant cel- Both retailers have been
combined $5.5 million in lulose, including bamboo, prohibited from making
settlements after the Fed- but the FTC noted the pro- deceptive green claims or
eral Trade Commission cess "requires the use of using other misleading ad-
said they falsely marketed toxic chemicals and results vertising, the FTC said.
dozens of sheets and other in hazardous pollutants." Kohl's, based in
home textile products as FTC said that both retail- Menomonee Falls, Wis-
made of environmentally ers have marketed some consin, and Walmart have
friendly bamboo, when of the "bamboo-derived" each marketed at least
they were actually rayon. products as providing gen- two dozen items as made
Kohl's agreed to pay $2.5 eral environment benefits, of bamboo in both product
million and Walmart will such as being produced titles and descriptions for
pay $3 million in the settle- "free of harmful chemicals, several years, the FTC said. This Jan. 28, 2015, file photo shows the Federal Trade Commis-
ments, which stemmed using clean, non-toxic ma- Walmart, which is based in sion building in Washington.
from an FTC complaint that terials." Bentonville, Arkansas, said Associated Press
also included allegations of "False environmental claims it takes the claims seriously.
deceptive environmental harm both consumers and "We hold ourselves ac- worked to strengthen our including those around la-
claims. honest businesses, and countable when issues like product description pro- beling. "
The companies touted the companies that green- this are raised," said Ran- grams and expect our sup- Kohl's also it continues to
"bamboo" textiles as be- wash can expect to pay a dy Hargrove, a Walmart pliers to provide products take the labeling regula-
ing made in an ecofriendly price," said Samuel Levine, spokesman. "We have that comply with all laws, tions "seriously."q