Average age of homeless in Tokyo exceeds 65

Central Tokyo’s homeless population has an average age of over 65 for the rst time since a metropolitan government survey started in 2003.

e metropolitan government late last month released the results of its latest survey on homeless people in the 23 wards, conducted in November 2021 through interviews. e survey is generally conducted once every ve years.

e average age of the 320 people surveyed was 65.1, which was 1.2 years older than the average from the previous survey in 2016.

Over 43% of the people surveyed this time had been living on the streets for over 10 years. People who had a xed place to live reached 91%, of which 32% lived on riverbanks.

Almost 40% said their health was “not good” or “not so good,” but about 64% of these people were not doing anything about it, such as taking medication.

About 40% said they worked before becoming homeless as a “construction or mining worker.” As the reason for becoming homeless, about 20% cited “bankruptcy or loss of employment.”

About half of the people surveyed said they had income from work. Overall, the average monthly income for all respondents was ¥52,894.

Asked about their future livelihoods, about half of them said they were “ne the way things are.”

“Elderly people who have long been on the streets have gotten used to the life and nd it di cult to reintegrate into mainstream society,” said a metropolitan government o cial in charge of the issue. “We want to provide necessary support, such as having nurses go around to provide consultations.” (May 10)