Resource Center

Hospital emergency departments (ED) are on the frontlines of serving people experiencing homelessness, and this report investigated what ED data can reveal about homelessness in California. Hospitals operated by counties and the University of California reported higher shares of ED visits by people experiencing homelessness. Linking discharge data with homeless services programs can offer insights into how people engage with programs and help provide better resources to evaluate the programs and investments aimed at improving the lives of Californians experiencing homelessness.

Patients who experience homelessness face a high burden on chronic disease, including colorectal cancer. There are many barriers in access to colonoscopy procedures. Researchers provide policy solutions to reduce health care disparity.

Housing status is a significant upstream determinant of access to healthcare. In this literature review, researchers identified areas of concern unique to patients experiencing homelessness with surgical disease. Researchers found that there was a gap in the surgical literature with regards to the impact of housing status on optimal surgical care. More studies are needed to accurately characterize the surgical care of patients experiencing homelessness and identify areas for care improvement.

People living with HIV (PLH) experiencing homelessness or unstable housing have lower rates of viral suppression compared to people who are housed. In 2020, only 20% of PLH experiencing homelessness in San Francisco were virally suppressed, compared to 71% of those who were housed. Researchers examined case preferences among PLH experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco. They found that the strongest preference were for the same provider, visit incentives, and drop-in visits.

The number of individuals incarcerated in the United States has increased since the 1970s. Frequent emergency department (ED) use and incarceration can both be driven by underlying structural factors and social needs. Researchers conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis to assess whether an increased frequency of ED use was associated with incarceration. They found that ED use is independently associated with incarceration.

This study from UCSF BHHI researchers examined deaths among people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. They found 82% of 331 deaths were associated with drug overdose, not COVID-19 infection. Traumatic injury, including homicide and suicide, was the second most common cause of death. This research highlights a need for strategies that address both homelessness and drug use, including housing, evidence-based treatment of opioid addiction, and overdose prevention programs.

Unstable housing has been associated with a higher risk of kidney disease and kidney disease progression. In this review, researchers discussed the underlying mechanisms of housing and kidney disease. Several considerations should be taken into account when working with individuals experiencing unstable housing or at risk for kidney disease. This review sheds light on that housing interventions can improve outcomes.

This UCSF study examined deaths among people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco from 2016 to 2018. Although heart disease and cancer are the first and second causes of death for California’s general population, the leading causes of homeless deaths were acute intoxication (unintended overdose) and trauma (including homicide and suicide rates over triple that of the US general population). The authors advocate that these differences in cause-specific mortality should inform death prevention efforts within the homeless population differently than the general population.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economic systems, social networks, and individual behaviors, altering patterns in health care use. In this study, researchers compared homeless and unstably housed (HSH) women who did and did not use an emergency department during the first 10 months of the pandemic. The researchers found that the rate of emergency department use among HUH women during the pandemic was similar to prior research.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health implemented the Coordinated Care Management System (CCMS) in 2007. The CCMS is used to develop High Users of Multiple Systems (HUMS) tp identify individuals with the highest use of emergency medical services. Researchers described the HUMS scoring system and the characteristics and service use of the highest scoring 100 individuals. Researchers found that nearly all of the individuals had a history of homelessness in SF, and over half were unsheltered at their last point of contact.

This UCSF study examined whether permanent supportive housing reduces the use of acute health care and other services among people experiencing chronic homelessness. The Permanent Supportive Housing program intervention was able to house 86% of chronically homeless adults randomized to the treatment group based on their high use of multiple systems. Even the most frequent clients of medical, psychiatric, and emergency services were housed successfully, as demonstrated in this study of Project Welcome Home in Santa Clara County.

Older homeless-experienced adults have low rates of advance care planning (ACP) engagement. In this cross-sectional qualitative study, researchers examined potential barriers and solutions to ACP engagement. Researchers found that participants believed that ACP is important, but acknowledge the multiple barriers to engagement. Potential solutions include capitalizing on opportunities outside health care setting and focusing on the period after housing and tailoring content.

The proportion of single homeless adults over the age of 50 is increasing. In this longitudinal cohort study, researchers examined the prevalence of and risk of falling in a cohort of older homeless adults. Researchers interviewed participants every 6 months for 3 years. They found a high prevalence of falls. Participants reported a prevalence of falls higher than older adults with a mean age of 78 in the general population. Researchers recommended identifying people at high risk of falls reducing unsheltered homelessness.

The median age of single homeless adults is over 50. Individuals who are homeless visit emergency departments (EDs) at higher rates than the general population. Researchers described the use of and factors associated with ED use in a sample of homeless adults 50 and older. They found that a sample of adults aged 50 and older who were experiencing homelessness at study entry had higher rates of ED use in the prior 6 months than the general US age-matched population. Within the sample, ED use rates varied based on individuals’ residential histories, suggesting that individuals’ ED use is related to exposure to homelessness.