For people struggling to pay the rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness, beginning with a lost job, depletion of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction.
Homelessness severely impacts health and well-being. The rates of acute health problems are extremely high among people experiencing homelessness.
With the exception of obesity, strokes, and cancer, people experiencing homelessness are far more likely to suffer from every category of severe health problem.
Conditions which require regular, uninterrupted treatment, such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, addictive disorders, and mental disorders, are extremely difficult to treat or control among those without adequate housing.
Housing is the first form of treatment for people experiencing homelessness with medical problems, preventing many illnesses and making it possible for those who remain ill to recover. Lack of affordable housing makes it more difficult for people to recover.
Children without housing experience numerous health problems that impact their development.
U.S. Bureau of the Census 2002. Available at www.census.gov.