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Millions of families with children in the U.S. struggle to afford adequate housing. Housing cost burden places families at risk for homelessness, and prevention efforts are hindered by limited understanding of insecure housing experiences at the margins. The present study investigated variation in housing insecurity experiences in a sample of mothers, as well as which risk profiles were most strongly associated with subsequent homelessness. Latent class analysis identified four distinct subgroups of housing insecurity: "Stable," "Unstable," "Rent-Focused," and "Strategic Bill-Paying." Classes differed on whether they made rent or utility payments on time, experienced utility shutoffs, or were evicted. Mothers who missed rent payments were significantly more likely to experience subsequent homelessness, whereas those who prioritized rent were more likely to have their utilities shut off but remain housed. Policy efforts should emphasize increased wages, rent control, changes to zoning laws and tax codes to prioritize affordable housing, and benefits that help mothers maintain their incomes such as comprehensive healthcare, paid maternity leave, and subsidized childcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young adults experiencing homelessness (YAEH) are faced with instabilities in many areas of their lives, including their living situation, employment, and income. Little is known about how the experience of instability in these different domains might be associated with substance use. Leveraging data collected on 276 YAEH in Los Angeles County, regression analyses examine associations between three distinct types of instability (housing, employment, income) and participants' self-reported alcohol use, alcohol consequences, non-cannabis drug use, and substance use symptoms. Results indicated that recent instability in income, employment, and secure housing for those with access to it (but not housing in general or non-secure housing) were significantly associated with greater alcohol/drug use or substance use symptoms. Depression was also found to moderate the association between employment instability and alcohol use. Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce instability in income, employment, and secure housing may have positive benefits for substance using YAEH, especially those with depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to examine how homelessness and housing instability is captured across data sources in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Data from 2021 were extracted from three data repositories, including the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), the Homeless Operations Management System (HOMES), and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Using these three data sources, we identified the number of homeless and unstably housed veterans across a variety of indicators. The results showed that the use of diagnostic codes and clinic stop codes identified a large number of homeless and unstably housed veterans, but the use of HOMES and HMIS data identified additional homeless and unstably housed veterans to provide a complete count. A total of 290,431 unique veterans were identified as experiencing homelessness or housing instability in 2021 and there was regional variability in how homelessness and housing stability were captured across data sources, supporting the need for more uniform ways to operationalize these conditions. Together, these findings highlight the and encourage use of all available indicators and data sources to identify homelessness and housing instability in VHA. These methodologies applied to the largest healthcare system in the U.S. demonstrate their utility and possibilities for other healthcare systems. Transparent practices about data sources and indicators used to capture homelessness and housing instability should be shared to increase uniform use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study examined the relationship between mental health, homelessness and housing instability among young people aged 15–18 years old who transitioned from out-of-home in 2013 to 2014 in the state of Victoria, Australia with follow-up to 2018. We determined the various mental health disorders and other predictors that were associated with different levels of homelessness risk, including identifying the impact of dual diagnosis of mental health and substance use disorder on homelessness. Methodology: Using retrospective de-identified linked administrative data from various government departments we identified various dimensions of homelessness which were mapped from the European Topology of Homelessness (ETHOS) framework and associated mental health variables which were determined from the WHO ICD-10 codes. We used ordered logistic regression and Poisson regression analysis to estimate the impact of homelessness and housing instability respectively. Results: A total homelessness prevalence of 60% was determined in the care-leaving population. After adjustment, high risk of homelessness was associated with dual diagnosis of mental health and substance use disorder, intentional self-harm, anxiety, psychotic disorders, assault and maltreatment, history of involvement with the justice system, substance use prior to leaving care, residential and home-based OHC placement and a history of staying in public housing. Conclusions: There is clearly a need for policy makers and service providers to work together to find effective housing pathways and integrated health services for this heterogeneous group of vulnerable young people with complex health and social needs. Future research should determine longitudinally the bidirectional relationship between mental health disorders and homelessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]