The vast majority of people struggling with homelessness lack health insurance, a public provision for health care or a primary care physician. Since hospital emergency departments are a community resource, by law, they must serve everybody regardless of their ability to pay. So the expense of assisting people struggling with homelessness when gaining access to health care falls on the N.C. State Taxpayer. Nearly one-third of all visits to the emergency room are made by people struggling with chronic homelessness. They have a wide array of complex needs: chronic health conditions, multiple psychosocial risk factors, like mental illness and substance use disorders, and they do not have a social support system. Moreover, emergency departments are not equipped to meet the psychosocial needs of homeless community members and do not have the capacity to assist them with housing, substance abuse treatment, and mental health care.
How much does homelessness cost the taxpayer?
•People struggling with homelessness are often frequent users of emergency departments. On average, they visit the emergency room five times per year. The highest users of emergency departments visit weekly. Each visit costs $3,700; that's $18,500 spent per year for the average person and $44,400 spent per year for the highest users of emergency departments.
•People struggling with homelessness spend, on average, 3 nights per visit in the hospital which can cost over $9,000.
•Not only does homelessness cause health problems, "homeless people have higher rates of chronic health problems than the general population. This takes the form of higher rates of illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, and HIV disease" (Dr. Margot Kushel, Associate Professor of Medicine in Residence, UCSK/ SF General Hospital).
•80% of emergency room visits made by people struggling with homelessness is for an illness that could have been treated with preventative care.
How does housing affect health?
•Studies show that housing is a critical factor in addressing the health concerns of the homeless population. After they are in their own housing, the formerly homeless community is more receptive to interventions and social services support. For most, being housed reduces stress and symptoms related to mental health or substance abuse disorders. Offering the provision of housing to the homeless community decreases the number of visits they make to emergency departments by nearly 61%.
•Ultimately, providing permanent supportive housing to the homeless community saves the N.C. State Taxpayer money:
1.Health care costs are reduced by 59%.
2.Emergency room costs are decreased by 61%.
3.General inpatient hospitalizations are decreased by 77%.
•For community members who need assistance with medical and/or psychosocial issues, permanent supportive housing is often the only successful approach to end homelessness.
•Safe and permanent housing can give residents the stability they need to organize their lives and their health.
References:
"Frequent Users of Health Services Initiative," The Lewin Group: Karen W. Linkins, PhD; Jennifer J. Brya, MA, PhD; Daniel W. Chandler, PhD, August 2008.
"Learning about Homelessness & Health in your Community: A Data Resource Guide," Suzanne Zerger, MA Research Specialist, August 2005.
"www.austinhomeless.org/facts", September 2010.
I say off of this to say this one thing.....what if we could house the homeless? Would you help?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Educating you about the homeless
Hello, and welcome to my blog. My name is Laura Casino and I have felt driven to educate you and others about homelessness in America and to help the houseless (aka homeless) find their places in society and to find love in God.
Let me ask you....when you hear the word homeless...what do you picture? Do you picture the begger at the traffic light asking for change? Do you picture the downtrodden sleeping in a cardboard box under the bridge? Do you even picture the really ragged person that is sitting in the streets with layers upon layers of ripped clothing on that looks like they need a rehab center more than money? What do you picture? If you said yes to all of those you would be right, but you would also be very wrong as well. Why....do you ask would you be wrong? Well, did you know that the homeless in America is growing rapidly daily due to our current economic status? Did you know that the homeless could be that person that sits next to you in church that looks just like you? Did you know that you could be that next homeless person? All it takes is a series of very bad events to land you on the road to homelessness. Imagine this....you are married with two kids (which is our average American family right now) and your spouse losses their job. What happens? You are very tight right? You start getting behind on bills, but you are still ok because you have your job. You get a second job just so you can pay up on your bills. What happens if you lose your full time job and are only left with your part time job? What if you can't get another job to take you? Did you know that companies are less likely to take someone that is unemployeed than someone that already has a job? What if you have your car repossessed? What if your house gets foreclosed on? What if your other family members are struggling just to pay their own bills and can't help you or have room for you....or worse (in most circumstances) you don't have anyone to turn too? What do you do then? You have nowhere to go, nothing you can do...you have a part-time job, but it doesn't pay enough to get food on your table and a roof over your head....what then? Well, guess what...you are homeless....your circumstances have placed you there...not an addiction, not your lack of wanting to work, but your circumstances. Did you know that most of the homeless have their circumstances to blame....that most of them doesn't even have an addiction?
This is what most people don't know about the homeless. This is what most people don't want to know about the homeless. Have you even talked to someone who is in these circumstances? There are more and more people losing their jobs right now. Society has for so long taught us to think about ourselves and to be self-centered and to just ignore the bad in the world and to ignore those that need us because they are there because they made it happen to themselves. There are so many lies that we have been taught about those in need that most of us believe it or have believed it in the past (I was one of those). We as a society need to step across these stereotypes and need to step into what Christ taught us in the bible. To help each other, to not only pray for one another, but to act as well! We are called by God to show his love, his compassion, his giving, his grace to others, but yet we ignore those around us that truly need his love! We ignore the downtrodden, the hungry, the sick, the people that have no where to go or no one to help them. God calls us as Christians to "give it all". We are called to give of ourselves, our finances, our emotions, our energy to help and be a light onto others!
Let me ask you this one last question.......what are you going to do about it?
Let me ask you....when you hear the word homeless...what do you picture? Do you picture the begger at the traffic light asking for change? Do you picture the downtrodden sleeping in a cardboard box under the bridge? Do you even picture the really ragged person that is sitting in the streets with layers upon layers of ripped clothing on that looks like they need a rehab center more than money? What do you picture? If you said yes to all of those you would be right, but you would also be very wrong as well. Why....do you ask would you be wrong? Well, did you know that the homeless in America is growing rapidly daily due to our current economic status? Did you know that the homeless could be that person that sits next to you in church that looks just like you? Did you know that you could be that next homeless person? All it takes is a series of very bad events to land you on the road to homelessness. Imagine this....you are married with two kids (which is our average American family right now) and your spouse losses their job. What happens? You are very tight right? You start getting behind on bills, but you are still ok because you have your job. You get a second job just so you can pay up on your bills. What happens if you lose your full time job and are only left with your part time job? What if you can't get another job to take you? Did you know that companies are less likely to take someone that is unemployeed than someone that already has a job? What if you have your car repossessed? What if your house gets foreclosed on? What if your other family members are struggling just to pay their own bills and can't help you or have room for you....or worse (in most circumstances) you don't have anyone to turn too? What do you do then? You have nowhere to go, nothing you can do...you have a part-time job, but it doesn't pay enough to get food on your table and a roof over your head....what then? Well, guess what...you are homeless....your circumstances have placed you there...not an addiction, not your lack of wanting to work, but your circumstances. Did you know that most of the homeless have their circumstances to blame....that most of them doesn't even have an addiction?
This is what most people don't know about the homeless. This is what most people don't want to know about the homeless. Have you even talked to someone who is in these circumstances? There are more and more people losing their jobs right now. Society has for so long taught us to think about ourselves and to be self-centered and to just ignore the bad in the world and to ignore those that need us because they are there because they made it happen to themselves. There are so many lies that we have been taught about those in need that most of us believe it or have believed it in the past (I was one of those). We as a society need to step across these stereotypes and need to step into what Christ taught us in the bible. To help each other, to not only pray for one another, but to act as well! We are called by God to show his love, his compassion, his giving, his grace to others, but yet we ignore those around us that truly need his love! We ignore the downtrodden, the hungry, the sick, the people that have no where to go or no one to help them. God calls us as Christians to "give it all". We are called to give of ourselves, our finances, our emotions, our energy to help and be a light onto others!
Let me ask you this one last question.......what are you going to do about it?
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