Co-occurring problems with homelessness

Homelessness

On any given night in the United States, 407,966 individuals are on the streets or in homeless shelters; 109,812 of these individuals are chronically homeless (Paquette, 2010). The homeless population is ethnically diverse but is majority non-Hispanic white and African-American (Paquette, 2010). Most of America's homeless people are under fifty years old. Over the course of any given year, the majority of temporarily and chronically homeless people are female but most chronically homeless individuals in the United States are male.

Homelessness is strongly correlated with co-occurring problems such as substance abuse and mental illness. More than a quarter of all homeless people in shelters on any given night have been diagnosed with a mental illness; and about 35% of all sheltered adults -- not including adolescents -- had co-occurring substance abuse problems (Paquette, 2010). Among chronically homeless individuals, over 80% have lifetime substance abuse or alcohol problems (Paquette, 2010). More than half of all chronically homeless individuals have a co-occurring mental illness too.

Causes and Contributing Factors

In fact, homelessness may be both a cause and effect of co-occurring problems. An underlying mental illness might lead to substance abuse and homelessness, or a condition of being homeless might create or exacerbate a pre-existing mental illness or substance abuse problem. The directionality of co-occurrence will differ depending on the individual circumstances, but co-occurrence may be literally true in many cases as the causes of homelessness may be the same core or root causes of the related problems like substance abuse.

Literature Review

According to the substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, homeless Americans exhibit a lifetime prevalence rate of 23% for homelessness co-occurring with substance abuse (SAMHSA, 2014). Research has also shown that homeless individuals with mental disorders accounted for a substantial and disproportionate number of persons who were incarcerated in the criminal justice system (McNeil, Binder & Robinson, 2005). According to McNeil, Binder & Robinson (2005), homeless inmates exhibit incarcerations of longer duration, particularly when there are co-occurring problems like substance abuse and mental illness. "Jails are de facto assuming responsibility for a population whose needs span multiple service delivery systems," (McNeil, Binder & Robinson, 2005, p. 57). According to Whitbeck, Hoyt & Wa-Ning (2003), homeless adolescents often exhibit family-of-origin issues that contribute to depressive symptoms and comorbidity with other mental disorders. Early intervention programs are required for homeless adolescents and those at risk for becoming homeless due to family problems, substance abuse issues, or a history of mental illness.

Barriers and Solutions