Prevalence of Chronic Illness and Perceived Access to Services at a Day Shelter for the Homeless

There are many physical, psychological/psychiatric, and social issues that face individuals and families who are homeless. Health care, substance treatment, and mental health care services are often scarce and in some places non-existent for those without health insurance. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of chronic illness and perceived access to services of homeless adults at an urban day shelter. The authors used a self-report survey method to examine the self-reported prevalence of specific chronic medical diseases, mental illness, and substance use among homeless adults who frequent a day shelter. Descriptive data, multiple regression, cluster analysis, and logistical regression were used to analyze the data to identify relationships between variables. The authors identified the homeless individuals' perceived access to medical, mental health, substance use and dental services and the correlations between reasons for homelessness and chronic illness, access to care, and overall health status. This information will be used to more accurately tailor homeless services to meet the unique needs of this population. It will also be used to advocate for additional funding to enhance homeless services, to reduce disease burden and to increase the availability of preventative services.