Resource Center

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Despite efforts by many countries to reduce the impact of tobacco products and lower smoking rates, smoking prevalence is higher among people experiencing homelessness. The reasons are complex and go beyond individual choices, including limited awareness about quitting, restricted access to services, and previous negative experiences. Using the SEM framework, which emphasizes the policy and environmental contexts, this study offers a deeper understanding of the context of the lives women experiencing homelessness. The evidence from this study supports the implementation of gender- and age-appropriate holistic approaches to healthcare and tobacco interventions tailored to this community.

People experiencing homelessness in California face high rates of chronic illness and disability, and numerous barriers to care. These health challenges make it harder for people to obtain and retain housing, and homelessness worsens health, trapping people in a vicious cycle. As the homeless population ages, these burdens deepen, with profound implications for individuals, communities, and the systems that serve them. This webinar includes findings from our recent report, Toward Thriving: Understanding Health & Homelessness, with insights from the report’s lead author and experts from across the health and homelessness systems.

Homelessness is dynamic; some individuals cycle between homelessness and housing. BHHI examined the prevalence of and factors associated with exits from and returns to homelessness among adults aged 50 and older. With a median 4 years of follow-up, 80% of participants exited homelessness into housing. Having a permanent rental subsidy was associated with retaining housing.

The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) today released a report on the relationship between health and homelessness. Toward Thriving: Understanding Health & Homelessness reveals that nearly half of Californians experiencing homelessness rate their health as poor or fair—about four times the rate in the general U.S. population. The report documents high rates of chronic disease, disability, and steep barriers to care for Californians experiencing homelessness.

Incarceration is a recognized risk factor for homelessness. However, most research focuses on the relationship between homelessness and prison incarceration. This study examines the occurrence of housing loss after jail incarceration among individuals without prior evidence of homelessness and the associated risk of reincarceration.

People with lived experience hold insights and networks that academic researchers alone cannot access. Building trust-based partnerships between researchers and lived experts takes time, vulnerability, and institutional change. But it’s essential to producing knowledge that leads to equitable and effective solutions.

SAN FRANCISCO (October 8, 2025) – Following is a statement by Dr. Margot Kushel, MD, Director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) at the University of California, San Francisco, on the potential impact of proposed federal funding cuts to critical programs that address housing insecurity, hunger, and poverty. 

Older homeless-experienced adults are at higher risk of loneliness than general older adults, yet less is known about the factors contributing to loneliness for this group. Loneliness is associated with multiple adverse health and mental health outcomes. This study examines this gap in our knowledge.

Injury is a leading cause of hospitalization in people experiencing homelessness, yet post-injury care use is unknown. This study examines care use patterns in the 12 months after injury in people experiencing homelessness versus housed low-income Medicaid beneficiaries.

The United States has fewer labor protections and wage guarantees than most wealthy nations, leaving many workers vulnerable to economic hardship from job loss, reduced hours, or work-related injuries. Based on data from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), this study shows how income disruptions—through layoffs, unstable gig work, caregiving tied to housing, illness or injury, probation and parole demands, and COVID-19-related impacts—can quickly lead to homelessness when housing costs are high and wages are low.

People experiencing homelessness have lower rates of cancer screening than housed people, contributing to later stages of cancer diagnosis and poor outcomes. We examined whether gaining housing increased rates of cancer screening in a cohort of homeless veterans. This study of nearly 120,000 homeless veterans finds that gaining housing was linked to higher screening rates for both breast and colorectal cancer—key to detecting cancer earlier, reducing the need for emergency surgery, and saving lives.

The United States is taking a sharp turn in how it addresses homelessness after a new executive order calling for more "involuntary commitment," which is a process in which mental health workers can forcibly detain and medicate people against their will. Studies have shown that the housing first model is significantly cheaper and more effective than involuntary detention. "Americans want there to be no homelessness. And this is...a formula to worsen homelessness," says BHHI Director Dr. Margot Kushel of efforts to expand involuntary detentions & withdraw funding from communities that don't comply.