Top Research Papers on Homelessness

It is discussed that collaborations between health systems and social services are needed to improve health and well-being in this population of homeless people.

Health outcomes in unsheltered populations have higher rates of physical and mental illness and substance use and use health care less and often lack health insurance.

Without an urgent solution, people experiencing homelessness will remain in limbo and many people living on the streets already have a diminished health condition, higher rates of chronic illnesses or compromised immune systems, all of which are risk factors for developing a more serious manifestation of the coronavirus infection.

There was broad agreement that some people experiencing homelessness experience significant stigma from providers when accessing health care and this impacts on general health and service access and there is also evidence that perceived stigma related to homelessness correlates with poorer mental and physical health.

The limited utility of case investigation, person-based contact tracing and symptom screening, and the benefits of mass testing in outbreak response in COVID-19 are described.

Importance: Several factors may place people with mental health disorders, including substance use disorders, at increased risk of experiencing homelessness and experiencing homelessness may also increase the risk of developing mental health disorders. Meta-analyses examining the prevalence of mental health disorders among people experiencing homelessness globally are lacking. Objective: To determine the current and lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders among people experiencing homelessness and identify associated factors. Data Sources: A systematic search of electronic databases (Pu...

The multitude of potential vulnerabilities and risks for people experiencing homelessness in becoming infected, needing care, and transmitting COVID-19 cannot be ignored and must be planned for.

Importance: Despite high rates of drug overdose death among people experiencing homelessness, patterns in drug overdose mortality, including the types of drugs implicated in overdose deaths, remain understudied in this population. Objective: To describe the patterns in drug overdose mortality among a large cohort of people experiencing homelessness in Boston vs the general adult population of Massachusetts and to evaluate the types of drugs implicated in overdose deaths over a continuous 16-year period of observation. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study analyzed adults aged 18...

BACKGROUND: Homelessness is a major problem that critically impacts the mental health and well-being of the affected individuals. This umbrella review aimed to evaluate the current evidence on the prevalence of mental disorders among homeless people from evidence-based systematic reviews and meta-analyses. METHODS: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for umbrella reviews. We searched 12 major databases and additional sources to identify systematically conducted reviews and meta-anal...

In order to ensure that women who are less visible in their experiences of homelessness are able to access appropriate services, it is important that service provision is both gender specific and trauma-informed.

The avoided deaths and health-care use among people experiencing homelessness during the so-called first wave of SARS-CoV-2 in England—ie, the peak of infections occurring between February and May, 2020—and the potential impact of COVID-19 on this population in the future are estimated.

This study characterizes the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection detected on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening of a large homeless shelter population in Boston prompted by an outbreak of COVID-19 cases among shelter residents.

COVID-19 can spread quickly in homeless shelters; rapid interventions including testing and isolation to identify cases and minimize transmission are necessary.

The findings provide support for current efforts to involve individuals with lived experience in providing peer support to those experiencing concurrent problem substance use and homelessness, but also urge caution because of common pitfalls that can leave those providing the support vulnerable.

The lifetime prevalence of ACEs is substantially higher among homeless adults than among the general population, and ACE exposure might be associated with prevalence of mental illness, substance misuse, and victimisation.

These results show high exposure to SARS-CoV-2 with important variations between those at different study sites, and underscores the importance of providing safe, uncrowded accommodation, alongside adequate testing and public health information.

Permanent supportive housing and income assistance interventions were effective in reducing homelessness and achieving housing stability and long-term effects on physical and mental health, substance use, and quality of life outcomes were unclear.

Community social capital was associated with greater service systems integration, which was associated in turn with greater access to assistance from a public housing agency and to a greater probability of exiting from homelessness at 12 months.

The findings suggest that the burden of psychiatric morbidity in homeless persons is substantial, and should lead to regular reviews of how healthcare services assess, treat, and follow up homeless people.

People with a recent history of homelessness were significantly more likely to be tested for SARS-CoV-2, to have a positive test result, to be admitted to hospital for CO VID-19, to receive intensive care for COVID-19 and to die of COVID -19 compared with community-dwelling people.