Health & Welleness

Advancing health and wellness for people who are homeless.

The Issue

People who experience long-term homelessness die an average of 30 years younger than their housed counterparts.1 Similarly, people who are homeless have higher rates of serious and complex medical conditions. This puts them at high risk for acute and chronic diseases, often with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions – all barriers to moving toward recovery and stability.

The conditions of extreme poverty and homelessness make it difficult to maintain health and wellness:

  • Limited access to nutritious food
  • Overcrowded living
  • High rates of communicable disease
  • Trauma and chronic stress
  • Limited social supports
  • Lack of health care and dental care.

Shaping the Solution

Service providers must be aware of environmental, systemic, and individual factors that impact the health and wellness of people who are extremely poor and homeless. Safe, permanent, affordable housing is fundamental. People also need access to quality health care and dental services, prevention and emergency care, recuperative care, behavioral care, and specialized supports to help them live stably in their homes and in the larger community.

The Center for Social Innovation equips members of the homeless services workforce with knowledge about the health impacts of co-occurring conditions. We understand that people are often unable to engage in treatment and supportive services until their essential needs are met (e.g., health care and housing). Self-care for providers working in homeless services is also critical, as rates of burnout and turnover are extremely high. We teach providers how to recognize the signs of burnout and develop practical strategies to manage work-related stress.

1Caton, Carol L. M., PhD, Wilkins, Carol, MPP, Anderson, Jacquelyn, MPP. (2007) Toward Understanding Homelessness: The 2007 National Symposium on Homelessness. “Research People Who Experience Long-Term Homelessness: Characteristics and Interventions”.

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Oral health is an important but often overlooked part of health. Among people experiencing homelessness, access to dental care is extremely limited:

  • 1 out of 3 homeless families have children who have never seen a dentist
  • 1 out of 2 homeless adults have gone without dental care in the last two years
Health & Wellness - Issues
Health, wellness, issues, trauma
The conditions of extreme poverty and homelessness make it difficult to maintain health and wellness: limited access to nutritious food, overcrowded living, high rates of communicable disease, trauma and chronic stress, no social supports, and lack of health and dental care. People who experiencing long-term homelessness die an average of 30 years younger than their housed counterparts.