The Impact of Housing Insecurity on Access to Care and Services among People Who Use Drugs in Washington, DC

Monica S. Ruiz, Allison Williams, Allison O’Rourke, Elizabeth MacIntosh, Shareese Moné and Cyndee Clay
Additional contact information
Monica S. Ruiz: Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Allison Williams: Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Allison O’Rourke: DC Center for AIDS Research, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 2125 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Elizabeth MacIntosh: Honoring Individual Power and Strength (HIPS), 906 H St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Shareese Moné: Honoring Individual Power and Strength (HIPS), 906 H St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Cyndee Clay: Honoring Individual Power and Strength (HIPS), 906 H St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: People who use drugs are highly marginalized communities and are disproportionately affected by environmental changes—e.g., neighborhood gentrification—that affect housing availability and stability, particularly in urban locations. These changes could negatively affect individuals’ access to and utilization of health care and social services, resulting in poorer health outcomes. This study examined the impact of gentrification and housing instability on drug users’ access to harm reduction and other health services. Data were collected from 139 clients of a large harm reduction organization. Results showed that 67% of the participants were either unstably housed or homeless, and about one-third of participants indicated that their current housing situations negatively affected their access to primary care (33.9%), behavioral health services (36.7%) and basic services (38.3%). While homeless individuals were still able to access services generally, a greater percentage—compared to those unstably or stably housed—reported difficulty accessing care. As these data were collected prior to the COVID pandemic, it is likely that many of our participants faced greater struggles with housing insecurity and health care access issues due to shutdowns and increased need for social isolation and quarantine. More work is needed to address housing instability and homelessness among already marginalized populations.

Keywords: drug user; harm reduction; housing; access to care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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