During the State of the City address, New York City Mayor Eric Adams discussed efforts to address the housing crisis and announced plans to provide free comprehensive health care to those experiencing homelessness. Charley Willison is an assistant professor of public…
Tag: HOMELESSNESS
Homelessness, hospitals and mental health: Study shows impacts and costs
A new study that harnesses a new form of data on hospital patients’ housing status reveals vast differences in diagnoses between patients with and without housing issues who are admitted to hospitals. This includes a sharp divide in care for mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Research shows exercise can improve the lives of women experiencing homelessness
The “Exploratory study of physical activity programming for women experiencing homelessness” has found that participants of a four-week physical activity program reported a significant decrease in the number of mentally unhealthy days they experienced.
Mental health and substance use among adolescents experiencing homelessness in the United States
In a new paper published in JAMA, researchers evaluated mental health and substance use among homeless and housed high school students surveyed voluntarily and anonymously in 2019.
Survey of LA homeless finds few want group shelter beds
A unique study conducting counts and surveys of unsheltered people in three parts of Los Angeles found that nearly half had been offered housing in the past, but they cited the housing intake process, desires for privacy and concerns about safety as obstacles they face in efforts to get off the streets, according to a new RAND Corporation report.
Unhoused veterans struggle to find services
A year-long study of a group of military veterans experiencing homeless in Los Angeles found that few were able to obtain permanent housing over the course of the period, even though they lived near the region’s major VA service center.
Sociodemographic characteristics, inequities associated with access to in-person, remote elementary schooling during pandemic in New York State
What The Study Did: Among the few New York state public school districts providing full-time in-person elementary school instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, most districts served predominately white students, rural/suburban students and children who were not disadvantaged (children who were…
Symptoms of depression, anxiety among women experiencing homelessness/unstable housing during pandemic
What The Study Did: About half the women experiencing homelessness and unstable housing who were surveyed experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety or both during the pandemic and, in addition to unmet subsistence needs and social isolation, these symptoms were…
Sea-level rise may worsen existing Bay Area inequities
Rather than waiting for certainty in sea-level rise projections, policymakers can plan now for future coastal flooding by addressing existing inequities among the most vulnerable communities in flood zones, according to Stanford research. Using a methodology that incorporates socioeconomic data…
Study: Nearly 10 percent of high school students experienced homelessness in Spring 2019
Findings are three times higher than state education counts
Das researching use of artificial intelligence
Sanmay Das, Professor, Computer Science, is conducting an exploratory study in the use of techniques from artificial intelligence (AI) to improve early screening and the delivery of targeted assistance to households that are at risk of future homelessness and child…
UHN announces first-in-Canada Social Medicine Modular Housing in Parkdale, in partnership with the City and United Way Greater Toronto
University Health Network (UHN) and the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine, in partnership with the City of Toronto and United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT), are creating what is believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, Social Medicine Supportive Housing site in Parkdale, Toronto.
Foster care, homelessness are higher education hurdles
A college education is estimated to add $1 million to a person’s lifetime earning potential, but for some students the path to earning one is riddled with obstacles. That journey is even more difficult for students who have been in the foster care system or experienced homelessness, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.
UBCO researchers examine how pandemics impact the homeless
Forgotten population becomes more so during time of crises and disease
UCLA/VA Center for Excellence for Veteran Resilience and Recovery in Homelessness and Behavioral Health to Sponsor May 27 Academic/Public Conference
Dr. Kenneth Wells, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of health policy and management, will collaborate with colleagues at UCLA and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to lead this week’s “Veteran Resilience and Recovery” conference at UCLA, created to focus on the veteran community, including addressing homelessness and behavioral health.
Blockchain as ‘TechQuity’: How tech solutions have the power to help the homeless
AUSTIN, Texas — For people experiencing homelessness, missing proof of identity can be a major barrier to receiving critical services, from housing to food assistance to health care. Physical documents such as driver’s licenses are highly susceptible to loss, theft…
Large numbers of regular drug users report increased substance use during COVID-19
CAMH survey indicates drug users are being disproportionately impacted by COVID in a variety of ways, in large part due to supply disruption and other COVID-related societal changes.
Living for today: Exposure to disaster may cause impatience in children
Study finds that children who experienced housing loss in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake are more inclined to opt for short-term gratification Tokyo – Living through a tragic event might make us more inclined to live for the moment,…

Financial strain predicts future risk of homelessness and partly explains the effect of mental illness
Financial strains like debt or unemployment are significant risk factors for becoming homeless, and even help to explain increased risk of homelessness associated with severe mental illness, reports a study in a supplement to the April issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Financial strain predicts future risk of homelessness and partly explains the effect of mental illness
March 12, 2021 – Financial strains like debt or unemployment are significant risk factors for becoming homeless , and even help to explain increased risk of homelessness associated with severe mental illness, reports a study in a supplement to the…
Implementation of recuperation unit, hospitalization rates among people experiencing homelessness with COVID-19
What The Study Did: Boston experienced a COVID-19 surge that disproportionately affected persons experiencing homelessness and a large safety-net hospital implemented a novel COVID-19 recuperation unit for these patients that provided isolation, quarantine and treatment for substance use. Researchers aimed…
The neoliberal city needs to change, argues Concordia professor Meghan Joy
A new policy agenda calls for progressive measures to restrict widening inequality
Assessment of hotel-based COVID-19 isolation, quarantine strategy for people experiencing homelessness
What The Study Did: This study suggests that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a hotel- based isolation and quarantine strategy that delivers integrated medical and behavioral health support to people experiencing homelessness can be done safely outside the hospital setting. Authors:…
Moratoria on utility shutoffs and evictions reduced COVID-19 infection rates
Public health interventions in real estate market increased safety
Strategies for adults experiencing sheltered homelessness during COVID-19 pandemic
What The Study Did: In this modeling study of simulated adults living in homeless shelters, daily symptom screening with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of individuals who had positive symptom screening paired with management at a nonhospital care site of people…
Trench fever in urban people who are homeless
A disease common during the First World War, trench fever, has been found in some urban populations experiencing homelessness in Canada, and physicians should be aware of this potentially fatal disease, highlights a practice article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association…
January 2021 highlights from AJPH
Highlights from January 2021 issue of AJPH. Better use of HIV prevention funds could substantially cut new infections; Study explores link between natural disasters, onset of headaches, digestive and back problems; Backpack medicine a promising way to reach people who are homeless during COVID-19; Successful contact tracing programs require a sustainable workforce
Missing in lockdown — new report reveals the vulnerable are more at risk
The number of people who went missing during the first national lockdown in England fell by over a third, compared to data from the previous year. However, a new report out today shows that those who did go missing were…
UTSA researcher examines drug overdose mortality in the Hispanic community
(November 18, 2020) — UTSA researcher Manuel Cano, assistant professor in the Department of Social Work in the UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy is shedding light to understand the topic of drug overdose deaths in the Hispanic community.…
‘I just don’t think shelters work’
Institutions, not only family rejection, underlie LGBTQ youth homelessness
How air pollution affects homeless populations
When air quality worsens, either from the smoke and ozone of summer or the inversion of winter, most of us stay indoors. But for individuals experiencing homelessness, that’s not always an option. In a new study, researchers from the University…

UNC Charlotte Study Finds Success in Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Efforts to End Homelessness
A new comprehensive study from UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute, College of Health and Human Services and School of Social Work shows an effective approach to ending chronic homelessness that helps those in need and benefits communities.
UNC Charlotte study finds success in Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s efforts to end homelessness
Comprehensive research findings indicate expanding Housing First, an effective program aimed to eradicate chronic homelessness, may impact other US cities
Study suggests increased risk of restraint use in black patients in the emergency setting
DES PLAINES, IL — A study published in the most recent issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), journal showed an increased risk of restraint use in Black patients compared with white patients in the emergency setting. The risk was not…
Six uOttawa COVID-19 mental health projects receive $1 million CIHR funding
Six University of Ottawa-affiliated projects focusing on COVID-19’s impact on mental health have won important funding grants totaling over $1 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Government of Canada’s Knowledge Synthesis Grant: COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding…
Turning hotels into emergency shelter as part of COVID-19 response limited spread of coronavirus, improved health and stability
A King County, Washington, initiative to relocate people from homeless shelters to hotel rooms during the pandemic not only limited the spread of COVID-19, but also improved people’s mental health and well-being, and allowed them to focus on long-term goals.
Poor families must move often, but rarely escape concentrated poverty
Paper details barriers that hinder moves to high-opportunity areas and possible policy remedies
Study highlights dual burden of menstruation and homelessness
Homeless New Yorkers who menstruate face numerous challenges due to inadequate access to toilets, bathing spaces, and laundering services, as well as pervasive menstrual stigma. The study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the CUNY…
Research project initiated with federal funding to improve service delivery for homeless
Researchers from Bentley University are initiating a project funded by the National Science Foundation (award # 1951896; $140,421) to explore long term homelessness and minimize recidivism. The project will establish the technical and community infrastructure needed to address these difficult…
Housing First proves cost effective especially for the most-vulnerable homeless group
Housing homeless people with severe mental illness even more cost-effective than housing people with moderate needs

Homelessness and COVID-19
States across the country passed moratoriums on evictions to combat housing insecurity as the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear earlier this year. As the pandemic took hold, the country’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to its highest-ever level since…
An AI algorithm to help identify homeless youth at risk of substance abuse
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — While many programs and initiatives have been implemented to address the prevalence of substance abuse among homeless youth in the United States, they don’t always include data-driven insights about environmental and psychological factors that could contribute…
Public health consequences of policing homelessness
Two weeks ago, Colorado State Patrol troopers began clearing out nearly 200 residents from homeless encampments that surround the Colorado Capitol. The enforcement of city ordinances like camping bans, park curfews and obstructions of public passageways is lawful. But the…
81 million Americans lacking space or bathrooms to follow COVID quarantine recommendations
Inadequate room for quarantine/isolation much more common among minorities hardest hit by pandemic, worsening spread within families
81 million Americans lacking space or bathrooms to follow COVID quarantine recommendations
Inadequate room for quarantine/isolation much more common among minorities hardest hit by pandemic, worsening spread within families

Homeless people are more likely to be put on ventilators for respiratory infections than non-homeless
Researchers from UCLA, Harvard Medical School and the University of Tokyo found that during a recent six-year period, homeless people in New York state were more likely to hospitalized and treated with mechanical ventilators for respiratory infections than people who are not homeless. These findings have implications for the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19: Impact on environmental justice
New Rochelle, NY, June 16, 2020–COVID-19 is like a heat-seeking missile that targets the most vulnerable. The bull’s-eye is environmental justice communities, which are the poorest, the most polluted, and the sickest when it comes to comorbidities. A Roundtable Discussion…
Majority of cannabis use in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside for therapeutic purposes
Most people at high risk of overdose in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who use cannabis do so for pain relief and other therapeutic reasons–and they may be at lower risk of overdosing on opioids as a result, suggests new research published…
DePaul University experts available to discuss recovery, life after the COVID-19 pandemic
Recovery. Reentry. Reopen. Return. A new normal. Faculty experts at DePaul University are available for news media interviews about what comes next — after the COVID-19 pandemic. Does the world return to normal or will there be fundamental changes to how we live our lives, work, and travel; and how we are governed?
Life in refugee camps wreaks havoc on children’s health
We know refugee camps are not ideal. But they are even worse than you might think