#15

There is sufficient evidence that lack of affordable housing has direct impacts on health of individuals and adds to healthcare costs. More than half of the homeless people suffer from psychiatric or substance abuse disorders. There is a high level of services use amongst this group. They might also use additional and more costly services like emergency rooms compared to those who have stable residences.
Instances where veterans have not only suffered physically but also mentally due to chronic homelessness have shown to increase costs of health services. In a study conducted by the Veteran Affairs (VA), 9,108 veterans were identified as being acutely psychiatric and had a history of substance abuse. Out of this 34.9% were identified as homeless, and 50.9 % had lived in a rental apartment or a room. The rest were either living in an institution or had unknown residence. Most of them suffered from schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder. The healthcare cost for homeless veterans was also significantly greater than veterans who had a permanent address, in some cases as much as 42% higher.
Economic factor such as lack of affordable housing is one of the primary reasons for homelessness. Due to urban renewal efforts there has been a decline in affordable housing. Most homeless individuals suffer from alcohol and drug abuse, they tend to be transient and clearly have no way to afford insurance.