Mental Health and Physical Health

Homeless people suffer from high rates of mental and physical health problems exacerbated by living on the streets and in shelters. Health conditions that require ongoing treatment—such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, addition, and mental illness—are difficult to treat when people are living in shelter or on the streets. Medication needs to be taken at regular intervals and often have other instructions such as needing refrigeration which are difficult for people experiencing homelessness to carry out and make it difficult to manage their illness. People experiencing homelessness also often lack access to preventative care, waiting until a trip to the emergency room is a matter of life or death. These emergency room visits are costly. Finally, hospitals far to often discharge people without ensuring they have housing which increases the odds that the condition being treated will return or worsen.

In addition, approximately half of people experiencing homelessness suffer from mental health issues. At a given point in time, 45 percent of homeless report indicators of mental health problems during the past year, and 57 percent report having had a mental health problem during their lifetime. About 25 percent of the homelessness population has serious mental illness, including such diagnoses as chronic depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and severe personality disorders.

Substance use is also prevalent among homeless populations. In a 1996 survey, 46 percent of the homeless respondents had an alcohol use problem during the past year, and 62 percent had an alcohol use problem at some point in their lifetime. Thirty-eight percent had a problem with drug use during the past year, and 58 percent had a drug use problem during their lifetime.

These statistics illustrate the need to connect housing with treatment services. The Alliance and our partners are working to ensure that mental health and substance use treatment agencies understand their role in ending homelessness.