Title: 
Headings: Homelessness & Health:  What’s the Connection?
Homelessness
 
&
 
Health:
  
What’s
 
the
 
Connection?
 

FACT
 
SHEET
 

February
 
2019
 

Poor
 
heath
 
is
 
a
 
major
 
cause
 
of
 
homelessness
 

Simply
 
being
 
without
 
a
 
home
 
is
 
a
 
dangerous
 
health
 
condition.
 

Homelessness
 
creates
 
new
 
health
 
problems
 
and
 
exacerbates
 
existing
 
ones
 

Recovery
 
and
 
healing
 
are
 
more
 
difficult
 
without
 
housing
  

The
 
Solution:
 
Housing
 
is
 
Health
 
Care
 

Learn
 
more:
  

VISIT
 
OUR
 
WEBSITE
 
AT
 
WWW.NHCHC.ORG
 


Content: exhausting
 
sick
 
leave; and/or
 
not
 
being
 
able
 
to
 
maintain
 
a
 
regular
 
schedule
 
or
 
perform
 
work
 
functions. This
 
is
 
especially
 
true
 
for
 
physically
 
demanding
 
jobs
 
such
 
as
 
construction,
 
manufacturing,
 
and
 
other
 
labor-intensive
 
industries. The
 
loss
 
of
 
employment
 
due
 
to
 
poor
 
health
 
then
 
becomes
 
a
 
vicious
 
cycle: without
 
funds
 
to
 
pay
 
for
 
health
 
care
 
(treatment,
 
medications,
 
surgery,
 
etc.), one
 
cannot
 
heal
 
to
 
work
 
again,
 
and
 
if
 
one
 
remains
 
ill,
 
it
 
is
 
difficult
 
to
 
regain
 
employment. Without
 
income
 
from
 
work,
 
an
 
injury
 
or
 
illness
 
quickly
 
becomes
 
a
 
housing
 
problem. In
 
these
 
situations,
 
any
 
available
 
savings
 
are
 
quickly
 
exhausted,
 
and
 
relying
 
on
 
friends
 
and
 
family
 
for
 
assistance
 
to
 
help
 
maintain
 
rent/mortgage
 
payments,
 
food,
 
medical
 
care,
 
and
 
other
 
basic
 
needs
 
can
 
be
 
short-lived. Once
 
these
 
personal
 
safety
 
nets
 
are
 
exhausted,
 
there
 
are
 
usually
 
very
 
few
 
options
 
available
 
to
 
help
 
with
 
health
 
care
 
or
 
housing. Ultimately,
 
poor
 
health
 
can
 
lead
 
to
 
unemployment,
 
poverty,
 
and
 
homelessness.