There are many contributing factors to homelessness but the connection between trauma and housing insecurity is more common than you’d think. Credit: Unsplash
By Taya Farren
Many factors can contribute to a person’s homelessness. These include high housing prices, low income, and addiction. However, one other cause most people aren’t aware of is trauma. A vulnerably housed populations study by the University of Ottawa reports that 91% of homeless people have experienced at least one traumatic event, and 99% experienced childhood trauma. This confirms that the connection between trauma and homelessness is more common than one would think.
As such, it’s vital that we dive deeper into exploring this connection to alleviate homelessness. Below, we cover the relationship between trauma and homelessness and what’s being done to address it.
How Trauma Can Lead to Homelessness
Trauma has been proven to have brain-altering effects that make it difficult for survivors to obtain stable housing for themselves, sometimes leading to homelessness.
A 2006 study published by Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience found that the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex reduced in size among individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This makes people with PTSD prone to self-destructive behavior, poor memory, and even substance abuse disorder.
These symptoms may limit an individual’s capacity to sustain a stable income or find a support network. It may also make them more vulnerable to stress and socio-economic insecurity.
How Homelessness Causes Further Trauma
Homelessness in itself is traumatic.
A study from Transcultural Psychiatry found that homelessness exposes individuals to violence and alienation. These challenges only compound unresolved trauma that has led someone to homelessness.
“If somebody could just understand what I am going through, it would make all the difference,” says a person experiencing homelessness, as quoted in Transcultural Psychiatry.
This is even worse for homeless children. Verywell Mind’s post on childhood trauma notes that violence and stress are some of their causes. Victims of domestic violence and stressful situations like living in dangerous neighborhoods are some examples. These experiences impair the development of vital body systems in children, leading to chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Moreover, these can result in hospitalization and difficulty keeping a job, further pushing homeless children into a cycle of homelessness and trauma.
The Effects of Trauma Paired with Homelessness
Through experiencing trauma and homelessness, an individual may develop tri-morbidities or co-occurring negative conditions. Tri-morbidity means having a psychiatric disorder and substance abuse disorder co-occurring with a chronic medical issue. People experiencing homelessness also have lower life expectancies partly because homeless individuals may incur preventable diseases and leave them untreated.
What’s Being Done to Help People Experiencing Homelessness
Due to the need for wraparound support services, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that the demand for social workers is projected to grow 9% until 2031—faster than other occupations. This is because social workers can train to provide trauma-based care for community safety. Maryville University highlights that social workers improve community safety by ensuring children have access to education, helping communities acquire the proper healthcare services they need, and assisting people in finding employment. This way, they’re able to support themselves and avoid homelessness.
Still, our post ‘Ending Chronic Homelessness Will Require More than Housing’ emphasizes that it takes a lot more to end homelessness. Traumatized homeless individuals need specialized housing programs. Programs that place them in environments where they can access professional support for their treatment and economic recovery. Despite the current supportive housing shortage due to high rent, social workers can still connect people with a program suited to their circumstances. This can include counseling services.
Another profession helping the homeless is psychiatrists. They aid individuals in dealing with tri-morbidities, especially re-traumatization and other physical or mental health conditions this may cause. These medical professionals train in a psychiatry residency program where they learn how to treat various mental health disorders. They can even opt for a fellowship that allows them to focus on relevant subspecialties like addiction medicine and hospice. While psychiatrists can help the homeless deal with PTSD, patients also need well-rounded support outside medical treatment to facilitate healing.
To resolve trauma and homelessness, efforts should consider and understand the relationship between the two for a more holistic and effective approach.
Taya Farren is a contributing writer.
