UIC Report Finds Significant Health Inequities For People Experiencing Homelessness
The UIC School of Public Health prepared a formative report on the health toll of individuals experiencing homeless–only the second of its kind in the nation–for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The report draws on statewide hospital records and death certificates, hoping to inform the State on approaches to prioritize housing access, affordability, and stability.
"The health concerns of people experiencing homelessness are not limited to psychiatric conditions and substance use disorders," said UIC Professor Lee Friedman, an author of the report along with Dana Madigan, PhD and Hannah Matzke, PhD. "People experiencing homelessness with chronic health conditions have a very high level of hospital utilization, and among those that died, the majority were suffering from chronic conditions at their time of death."
In fact, the Illinois Homelessness Morbidity and Mortality Report found, in part, the following:
- Individuals experiencing homelessness in Illinois died nearly 20 years younger, from 2017-2022, than the population at large
- Deaths of individuals experiencing homelessness have increased 36.6% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Individuals experiencing homelessness are nearly three times more likely to die from homicide than the population at large
The report highlights the scope of health issues disproportionately faced by people experiencing homelessness and the need to increase health-promoting interventions. UIC Research Assistant Professor Dana Madigan noted, "The focus for many jurisdictions has been on mortality data, which provides clear insights on the health impacts of those experiencing homelessness, but this report's additional analysis of hospitalization data can inform interventions at earlier stages that can have a larger impact. This is especially relevant for addressing the chronic health needs of this population and drivers of increased hospital use when someone is identified as experiencing homelessness compared to times when they are not."
For more information about this trailblazing report, read IDPH’s news release, an executive summary of the report, as well as the full report.