The Effect Of Long Term Housing On The High Rates Of Morbidity And Mortality In Women Experiencing Homelessness

Abstract

The issue of homelessness is an increasing problem in the United States, with the number of people experiencing homelessness increasing in the past two years. Historically, deinstitutionalization in the 1970s along with welfare reform in the 1990s had a drastic impact on the number of people experiencing homelessness. With the belief that the individual was responsible for their condition, homeless outreach focused on addressing individual behaviors such as substance abuse and mental illness as the reason a person was experiencing homelessness. This belief ignored any structural factors such as politics, the economy, gendered issues, and race as aspects that could contribute to someone experiencing homelessness. With a shift from a behavioralist view to a structuralist view, a Housing First program emerged as an alternative to the treatment first method. The Housing First Programs provide someone experiencing homelessness with housing immediately and does not require them to abstain from substances or access mental health treatment. By giving someone housing, the ability to make choices in their life, and reducing the harm they may encounter a Housing First program would reduce the high rates of morbidity and mortality in women experiencing homelessness.