Unsheltered homeless and unstably housed adults have higher levels of stress and more health risk factors than sheltered homeless adults

Chaelin K Ra,Emily T Hébert,Adam Alexander,Darla E Kendzor,Robert Suchting,Michael S Businelle

doi:10.1080/10530789.2021.1961990

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the United States, approximately 580,000 individuals were homeless on a single night in 2020. Homelessness can be categorized into three subgroups: sheltered homeless, unsheltered homeless, and unstably housed. This study aimed to empirically examine whether homelessness subgroups were related to current stress, recent utilization of shelter-based mental health services, and current health risk factors. Data were collected at multiple homeless shelters in 2016 in the Oklahoma City area (N = 575). All participants completed assessments of demographic characteristics, including age, sex, race, marital status, years of education, and incarceration history and victimization. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that the sheltered group was younger and more likely to be White than the unsheltered group, had higher levels of education, and reported more lifetime months in jail than the unstably housed group. Unsheltered homeless and unstably housed adults used fewer shelter-based health services, exhibited more health risk factors, experienced greater levels of stress, and had higher levels of food insecurity than sheltered homeless adults. Homeless adults who reside at shelters benefit most from available shelter services. The development of policies and programs targeted toward increasing sheltering options for unsheltered and unstably housed adults is needed.

Highlights

In the United States, approximately 568,000 individuals are homeless on a single night
This study focused on risk and/or protective factors that have an impact on modifiable health behavior changes, which are targetable for intervention
The purpose of this study is to empirically examine whether shelter status the previous night was related to current stress, recent utilization of shelter-based mental health services, and current health risk factors provide services to homeless adults can improve health outcomes, including reducing mental health problems, increasing health care use, reducing substance abuse, reducing daily stress, and improving healthy behaviors [16, 17]

Summary

Introduction

In the United States, approximately 568,000 individuals are homeless on a single night. Few studies have examined the relations between homelessness subtypes, shelter service utilization, levels of stress experienced, and health risk factors. This study aimed to empirically examine whether shelter status the previous night was related to current stress, recent utilization of shelter-based mental health services, and current health risk factors. In January 2019, the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night was estimated to be 568,000 in the United States [1]. Previous studies have found that, compared with domiciled adults, people experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience chronic stress, food insecurity, sleep problems, mental health disorders, alcoholism, substance abuse, and injuries [2,3,4,5,6,7]. More than half of adults experiencing homelessness do not have health insurance in the United States [9]

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