CEO Corner: A New Year, a Clearer Reality and a Call to Act

January is often framed as a reset, a chance to start fresh. But for many older adults, the calendar turning doesn’t change the reality they’re living in.

For people on fixed incomes, rising costs don’t come with a workaround. Rent, utilities, food, transportation, and healthcare all continue to climb, while income remains static. Add winter into the equation, and the risk becomes even more pronounced. Cold weather doesn’t just make life harder, it exposes how close many older adults are to being left behind.

This is the part of the housing crisis we don’t talk about enough. Homelessness among older adults doesn’t always begin with a dramatic moment. Often, it starts quietly: a rent increase, a medical bill, a heating cost spike, or the loss of informal support. When there’s no room in the budget; and no way to earn more, stability can unravel quickly.

At Hearth, we see this every day. And while it’s reasonable to feel frustrated or even angry about a system that puts older adults in this position, we also believe strongly in action. Our work is rooted in meeting people where they are, through outreach, prevention, advocacy, and housing, before a crisis becomes irreversible.

Progress doesn’t always happen overnight, and it rarely looks tidy. Sometimes, progress means keeping someone housed. Sometimes it means helping someone navigate a system not designed for them. And sometimes it means pushing for policy change so fewer people are forced into impossible choices in the first place.

That’s why Winter Walk matters.

Winter Walk is about visibility, yes; but it’s also about refusal. A refusal to accept that growing older should mean growing more vulnerable. A refusal to normalize people being priced out of stability simply because they can’t keep up with rising costs. And a commitment to show up, together, in the coldest months of the year when the stakes are highest.

As we begin this new year, I invite you to walk with us, literally or figuratively, and to be part of the momentum that turns urgency into action.

With gratitude,

Rhonda Pieroni
President and CEO