UCLA Study: Health Problems, Trauma Rates High Among The Homeless

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA on Monday released a two-year study that concludes mental and physical health care needs and traumatic experiences are ``major factors'' afflicting unsheltered homeless people, especially women.

The California Policy Lab, which is run by experts from both UCLA and UC Berkeley, analyzed survey responses from more than 64,000 people ages 25 and older who were homeless, sheltered or sheltered, in 15 states from 2015 to 2017.

Both unsheltered and sheltered people reported experiences of abuse and/or trauma had caused them to become homeless, but 80% of unsheltered women reported abuse and/or trauma as the cause of their transiency -- much higher rates than the 34% of unsheltered men who responded the same.

``People experiencing homelessness face a number of challenges related to their health and well-being, but this new analysis suggests that people who are unsheltered are far more likely to encounter these problems and that the problems are exacerbated the longer they are unsheltered,'' California Policy Lab at UCLA Executive Director Janey Rountree said. ``These
issues were the most profound for unsheltered women, especially experiences with abuse and trauma.''

About half of all unsheltered respondents said they suffer from a combination of physical and mental health issues and a substance abuse condition.

City News Service contributed to this report.