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