Health and Social Characteristics of Homeless Adults in Manhattan Who Were Chronically or Not Chronically Unsheltered

Abstract

The sick and aged nature of this population suggests that more aggressive efforts are needed to enroll unsheltered homeless people in income and health benefits and to create adequate housing opportunities with appropriate support services.

Impact of chronically street homeless tenants in congregate supportive housing.

“…The incidence of substance use and primary healthcare problems reported in this study and others (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development (HUD‐OCPD), 2009; Levitt et al., 2009) suggests that the chronically street homeless population includes a high proportion of trimorbid individuals (presenting with mental, physical, and substance use disorders), a group who are likely to be high‐cost users of Medicaid (Sederer, 2011). Sederer (2011) reports that, of the $814 million spent in New York State in 2007 on potentially preventable hospital readmissions, almost half was for medical readmissions of people with mental health and alcoholism disorders, and another third was for mental health and drug abuse treatment.…”

“…Chronically street homeless adults are often difficult to engage in services and mistrustful of service providers (Kryda & Compton, 2009). They report high rates of previous incarceration (in both jail and prison), trauma, substance abuse, and serious physical illness (Levitt et al., 2009). They are more likely to have psychotic disorders than are sheltered homeless adults (Lam, 1999).…”

Health Status and Health Care Experiences among Homeless Patients in Federally Supported Health Centers: Findings from the 2009 Patient Survey

“…; Levitt et al. ). Although prevalence estimates for these factors vary depending on which segments of the homeless population are sampled, it is clear that substance‐related disorders, mental illness, cognitive impairment, unstable housing, unemployment, and poverty exacerbate chronic and episodic diseases, making the management of these diseases more difficult.…”

When Housing First Lasts: Exploring the Lived Experience of Single‐site Housing First Residents

“…Mortality rates among homeless adults are estimated to be between three to four times higher than in the general population (O'Connell, ; Fazel, Geddes, & Kushel, ) and chronically homeless individuals report disproportionately high rates of mental health, substance abuse, and medical problems (Levitt, Culhane, DeGenova, O'Quinn, & Bainbridge, ). Over the past two decades, concerns about this population's vulnerability and its high levels of public service utilization have inspired renewed efforts to eliminate homelessness, with a particular focus on housing chronically homeless individuals with co‐occurring substance use and/or psychiatric disorders (Burt, ; Larimer et al., ).…”