How Is Severe Is Homelessness

Homeless Fall Through Health Care Cracks

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, USA, Jul 14, 2011 (IPS/ The Contributor) - While Americans are taking sides in the ongoing battle about the future of American healthcare, one underrepresented group is especially vulnerable to the change - or lack of change - that may be afoot: the homeless community.

Most people in the U.S. think that everybody living in poverty is eligible for Medicaid, but this is not the case. Poor adults who are disabled or are parents are most often eligible, but for adults who don't fall in these categories there may be no safety net available.

A non-disabled childless adult - even with ongoing, chronic health concerns - will likely not find relief and assistance through Medicaid. Mothers who have lost their children to foster care and adolescents who have outgrown the foster care system often also face a tight squeeze between the rock-and-a-hard-place that poverty and lack of healthcare represent. A nationwide study in 1996 found that only a quarter of America's homeless population was enrolled in Medicaid.

The issues of homelessness and healthcare are so interconnected that it's nearly impossible to consider the former without investigating the latter. Understanding the relationship between physical health, the cost of care and homelessness is in many ways a Rosetta Stone that clarifies the complex snarl of issues that surround homelessness. As soon as one takes the time to pull at the threads of how America's healthcare system affects the poor, an understanding about homelessness comes into drastic, dramatic relief.

The relationship between healthcare and homelessness is cyclical, severe, relentless and pervasive. Many people find their exit to a life on the street as a direct result of a health crisis. That desperate path is marked by the too-often tread footfalls that pass from untreated illness into disability and unemployment - which, of course, is a leading cause of homelessness.

In addition, whether a person has insurance or not, the leading cause of bankruptcy in America is a crushing wave of medical expenses. Income and illness are completely intertwined in America's for-profit healthcare model, and when poor people can't pay, those poor people may lose their homes. And a life on the streets is a life of illness and injury that starts the cycle turning back on itself.

"Life on the streets is brutal and short," says Bill Friskics-Warren. "Studies done in several U.S.

U.S.: Homeless Fall Through Health Care Cracks — Global Issues

Most people in the U.S. think that everybody living in poverty is eligible for Medicaid, but this is not the case. Poor adults who are disabled or are parents are most often eligible, but for adults who don't fall in these categories there may be no safety net available.

A non-disabled childless adult - even with ongoing, chronic health concerns - will likely not find relief and assistance through Medicaid. Mothers who have lost their children to foster care and adolescents who have outgrown the foster care system often also face a tight squeeze between the rock-and-a-hard-place that poverty and lack of healthcare represent. A nationwide study in 1996 found that only a quarter of America's homeless population was enrolled in Medicaid.

The issues of homelessness and healthcare are so interconnected that it's nearly impossible to consider the former without investigating the latter. Understanding the relationship between physical health, the cost of care and homelessness is in many ways a Rosetta Stone that clarifies the complex snarl of issues that surround homelessness. As soon as one takes the time to pull at the threads of how America's healthcare system affects the poor, an understanding about homelessness comes into drastic, dramatic relief.

The relationship between healthcare and homelessness is cyclical, severe, relentless and pervasive. Many people find their exit to a life on the street as a direct result of a health crisis. That desperate path is marked by the too-often tread footfalls that pass from untreated illness into disability and unemployment - which, of course, is a leading cause of homelessness.

In addition, whether a person has insurance or not, the leading cause of bankruptcy in America is a crushing wave of medical expenses. Income and illness are completely intertwined in America's for-profit healthcare model, and when poor people can't pay, those poor people may lose their homes. And a life on the streets is a life of illness and injury that starts the cycle turning back on itself.

'Life on the streets is brutal and short,' says Bill Friskics-Warren. 'Studies done in several U.S. cities have shown that the average lifespan of someone living on the streets is more than 30 years shorter than that of their housed counterparts.'

Friskics-Warren manages the <a href='http://www.unitedneighborhood.org/about_us.php' target='_blank' class='notalink'>United Neighborhood Health Services' (UNHS)</a> homeless programmes in Nashville, including the Downtown Clinic, the evening clinics in the basement of the Nashville Rescue Mission, and the UNHS' mobile medical unit. In his experience, homeless people are not only vulnerable to health threats from the elements and violence, but also because of lack of treatment for chronic illnesses and conditions.

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