Major Health Issues Homeless People Face Everyday

In 2005, at least 100 million people were homeless. This was based on a global survey conducted by the United Nations (https://homelessworldcup.org/homelessness-statistics/). And this number has continued to grow through the years.

It is hard to get an accurate picture of the challenges homeless people have to face every day. Because of this, some individuals easily criticize them and readily accuse the people living along the streets of being lazy or incapable. Others who feel pity for them immediately dismiss the idea of helping because they think that they might get attacked by them if they try to help. Charitable Organizations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida want to change this common but wrong mindset among people with a safe place they can call “home”.

If we try to know them more and their daily circumstances, we might begin to want to help them just like what SapiBon Foundation, Inc. does.

Do you know that these homeless people face the following health risks every day?

1. Mental Health Problems.
   A person could either: become homeless because of a mental health issue or acquire a mental health issue because of being homeless. Living in the streets could mean being exposed to pollution every single day. It could also mean not being able to eat on time or not being able to eat at all. These people could easily fall prey to drug and alcohol abuse, too. These are the reasons why there are also homeless individuals who have attempted to commit suicide because of a mental health condition.
2. Risk to Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
   Sharing of needles while using drugs could transfer STDs from one person to another; the homeless people often do this. These people, especially the younger ones, are also vulnerable to sexual assaults which may be another way of acquiring STD. Oftentimes, they would engage in unprotected sex and this could lead to more individuals being positive with STDs.
3. Infectious Diseases.
   According to the Nursing Times website (https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/infection-control/infectious-diseases-among-homeless-populations/5059854.article), “Incidence of a range of infectious diseases is higher in homeless people than in the general population.” Infectious diseases like Hepatitis A, B, and C, Tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS are prevalent among them. Since they are exposed to the environment and have no effective methods of protecting themselves from these infections, they easily acquire this type of diseases.
4. Mortality.
   Homeless people are exposed to numerous environmental, health, and accidental hazards. Since they would often sleep along the streets, many of them get badly injured when motor vehicles accidentally crash on them. Some of them even die because of drug or alcohol overdose. When calamities come and they fail to seek shelter or no charitable organizations in Florida would help them, they are the ones who get immediately affected.

The homeless do not have the same peace, safety, and comfort we have at home. They are constantly exposed to various hazards. Let’s ease these hazards and help them in any of the little ways we can.