Take 15 - Social Accountability - Health & Homelessness

The Homeless Hub is a web-based research library and information centre developed by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness — the largest homelessness research library in the world, with over 30,000 resources designed to make research accessible to anyone working, researching, or legislating on homelessness. Take some time to explore the following sections:

1. Homelessness 101

Start with the foundational overview of homelessness in Canada. This section covers what homelessness is, who is affected, its causes, and evidence-based approaches to ending it.

Explore Homelessness 101 on the Homeless Hub

2. Health & Homelessness

People experiencing homelessness face serious barriers to healthcare — from lack of identification to inaccessible services — and are at increased risk for acute and chronic diseases, with health care delivery often concentrated in emergency departments.

Read: Health and Homelessness

3. Additional Resources

To deepen your understanding, explore these related resources:

Homelessness & Health Care — an overview of the barriers people experiencing homelessness face when accessing healthcare, including mental health, substance use, and chronic disease.

Housing First — learn about the evidence-based Housing First approach and its application across Canadian communities.

4. CIHI - Homelessness and Hospital Use

This page explains how hospital data is used to understand the characteristics, health conditions, and higher healthcare costs of people experiencing homelessness in Canada.

View the Canada Institute for Health Information

Sources:

Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. (n.d.). The Homeless Hub. Retrieved from https://homelesshub.ca

Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. (n.d.). Health and Homelessness. Homeless Hub. Retrieved from https://homelesshub.ca/collection/homelessness-101/health/

Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. (n.d.). Homelessness & Health Care. Homeless Hub. Retrieved from https://homelesshub.ca/resource/homelessness-health-care