In this blog recognising the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December), Debra Hertzberg discusses the importance of understanding and addressing the health inequalities experienced by people facing homelessness, illness and disability.
People with disabilities are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness, with 63% of people responding to a Homeless Health Needs Audit (HHNA) telling us that they had a longstanding illness or disability in our latest Unhealthy State of Homelessness report. This compares to 22% of the wider population at that time.
Added to this, emerging data from new HHNAs shows that people with a learning disability and with Autism are also at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. Whilst data is exploratory at this stage, it indicates that people with a wide range of disabilities and neurodivergence are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness.
We know that people who experience homelessness also face poorer health and greater health inequalities compared to the general population, with 78% of people experiencing homelessness having a diagnosed physical health condition and 82% having a diagnosed mental health condition.
Change is needed to strengthen the social safety net which, over the past 14 years, has become increasingly unable to provide the support that can prevent homelessness. In some local areas the homelessness, housing and health sectors are already working together to improve and better enable people with disabilities to access the support that can empower them to move on from homelessness. However, there is still much more than can be done, more consistently and on a much bigger scale.
We know that people who experience homelessness face greater barriers to accessing health and care services and that population level interventions, such as those for cancer screenings and smoking cessation, often do not reach people experiencing homelessness to the same degree that they reach the general population. In the case of people with disabilities and neurodivergence, this unequal access to services may compound already complex health and care needs and there may be added need for flexibility and personalisation in how and where services are delivered.
Understanding the prevalence of disability and the wider health of people experiencing homelessness in your area is an important first step to levelling the playing field by providing access to the right health and care.
Undertaking a Homeless Health Needs Audit is a great way to do this, giving people with experience of homelessness a stronger voice in local commissioning processes. It provides the evidence which enables commissioning to shape and resource services that can provide flexible, person-centred support that meets the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness and enable people to lead full and meaningful lives.
If you’d like to know more about carrying out a Homeless Health Needs Audit in your areas, we’d be happy to discuss this with you. Contact Debra at debra.hertzberg@homelesslink.org.uk or click on the button to find out more.
