COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) – Janette Burke-Opheim spent Wednesday moving into her new home; a home she wasn't sure she would have after her senior living facility raised the rent by $200, something she couldn't afford.
- Janette Burke-Opheim moved into a new home Wednesday.
- Burke-Opheim feared she would become homeless after her senior living facility raised the rent to something she couldn't afford.
- Burke-Opheim isn't alone, organizations say this is a growing issue in Sarpy County.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“I’m so blessed,” Janette Burke-Opheim said as she moved into her new home.
A home she wasn't sure she would have.
“Beyond words excited about being here,” she said.
Earlier this month, Burke-Opheim was forced to leave her senior living complex after her monthly fees went up $200, something she couldn't afford. She isn't the only one experiencing this. According to her, she was lucky, but she worries about her friends still searching for somewhere else to go.
“It’s a relief, but I'm still anxious for my friends,” Bruke-Opheim said.
Homelessness among seniors continues to rise in the Omaha metro, accounting for one-third of the homeless population in Sarpy County, according to Dave Gifford, founder of All Season Foundation.
“People are falling through the cracks, I don't think you can go to a Walmart in Sarpy where there aren’t people living in their car, there people living in their tents all over,” he said. “When there are older people out in the environments trying to live, they are more susceptible to heat and cold.”
And these numbers are rising across the country.
According to Housing and Urban Development, homelessness in people ages 55 or above has increased about 6% from 2023 and this number is predicted to triple by 2030.
Something needs to be done about it now, or the numbers will continue to climb, Gifford said.
As for Burke-Opheim, she said the support she received from the community was something she never expected and she hopes others facing her homelessness, like she was just weeks ago, know they aren't alone.
“I am really grateful for all the prayers and people sharing my story, people have reached out to me, I am really grateful for where I am,” she said.
