After waiting in line for seven hours with a bag that weighs almost as much as she does, 62-year-old Abigail is the penultimate person to receive a room in the homeless shelter. Her legs tremble in pain as she climbs two flights of stairs to a room she will share with eight other people for the night. Tonight, Abigail will be able to wash her clothes, sleep in a warm room, and take a shower for the first time in a long time. She sleeps as long as she can, despite questionable smells and loud noises, but Abigail has to leave the shelter at five in the morning. All she has, besides her clothes, is the Styrofoam coffee cup they hand her as she leaves. She has been walking the streets of her town for many years and has given up all hope of finding a job. PersonUnfortunately, the chances of accessing a shelter for the elderly are more difficult. Many shelters are located on the second floor of buildings or require long lines for hours, which is difficult for many seniors (elderly homelessness). A man named Linwood Hearne, 64, and his wife have lived in Baltimore for years between the ages of 1 and 83. An interviewer observed Hearne as he limped across a four-lane highway to where he and twelve other homeless seniors lived. They don't want to sleep on the streets, but they feel they have no choice. Hearne even admitted that, as bad as it sounds, he often checks mailboxes for eviction notices, hoping to squat in a foreclosed home. Research shows that homeless older adults are extremely prone to victimization and are often ignored by law enforcement. A 2006 study showed that homeless people aged 50 to 59 made up 27% of homeless victims of violent crime (Homelessness Among Elderly Persons). They are on the street and are therefore vulnerable. If a crime is committed against them, they often don't report it because no one believes them, because they seem delusional. Unless there is concrete evidence or a credible witness, cops generally don't want to go out of their way to seek justice for an old man.