A Problem Worth Solving

According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, homelessness is defined as not having a “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes frequently moving between different accommodations, staying in homeless shelters and places not meant for human habitation (e.g., vehicles, abandoned buildings). Among the general population, homelessness has been a social, economic, and public health concern in the United States and internationally since the early 1980s. Some consider homelessness a violation of a basic human right—the right to have access to safe and secure housing. Homelessness is also a concern because it is associated with many other adverse outcomes such as serious medical problems, mental health issues, substance abuse, premature mortality, frequent hospitalizations, greater than average costs per hospital stay, and incarceration.
Among those who stand the most significant risk of becoming homeless are Veterans, those previously incarcerated, low-income families with limited resources, and the developmentally disabled.