Supportive Housing Helps Formerly Unhoused Older New Yorkers Age With Dignity

Doreen Burton shares how a supportive housing program in Harlem gave her a safe, private home after years of homelessness.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 8:03pm

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An abstract, out-of-focus interior scene with warm pools of light and color, conceptually representing the comfort and privacy of a supportive housing home for an older adult.Supportive housing provides older New Yorkers like Doreen Burton a safe, private haven to age with dignity.NYC Today

Doreen Burton, a 66-year-old New Yorker, faced homelessness for four years after her father's death and the loss of his public housing lease. In 2013, she moved into a supportive housing building in Harlem, which she credits with saving her life. Burton now has privacy, security, and access to on-site services that allow her to age in place with dignity. As New York City faces a growing senior homelessness crisis, Burton advocates for increased funding to preserve and expand supportive housing options for older adults.

Why it matters

New York City is on the cusp of a senior homelessness crisis, with the number of single adults aged 65 and older in the city's main shelter system more than doubling between 2014 and 2022. Supportive housing, which combines affordable housing with on-site services, is a critical solution to ensure older adults can live out their golden years with dignity.

The details

Doreen Burton faced homelessness for four years after her father's death and the loss of his public housing lease. In 2013, she moved into a supportive housing building in Harlem developed by Lantern Community Services, where she has lived for the past 10 years. The supportive housing program has provided Burton with privacy, 24-hour security, and access to on-site services such as case management and mental health counseling, which she credits with saving her life.

  • In 2010, Doreen Burton's father died with just one final document left unsigned, leaving her suddenly homeless.
  • For the next four years, Burton lived in the New York City shelter system.
  • In 2013, Burton learned about a new supportive housing building in Harlem and moved in two years later.
  • Doreen Burton has lived in the supportive housing building for the past 10 years, since 2013.

The players

Doreen Burton

A 66-year-old New Yorker who faced homelessness for four years after her father's death, and now lives in a supportive housing building in Harlem that she credits with saving her life.

Lantern Community Services

A nonprofit organization that developed the supportive housing building in Harlem where Doreen Burton lives.

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What they’re saying

“Supportive housing has given me so much. I take comfort in knowing that if I have a problem, there's someone I can go to right away. Every senior deserves the safety and security that my building provides, along with the privacy to receive care in our own homes.”

— Doreen Burton, Supportive Housing Resident

What’s next

The Supportive Housing Network of New York is asking the city to invest $65 million in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget - $44 million in capital and $21 million in expenses - as part of the NYC 15/15 proposal to enable the preservation of 325 supportive housing units this year.

The takeaway

Supportive housing programs that provide affordable housing and on-site services are a critical solution to address the growing senior homelessness crisis in New York City. Increased funding is needed to preserve and expand these vital resources to ensure older adults can age with dignity in their own homes.