Despite shelter being a basic human need for survival and quality health, some people lack this necessity. Parsell (2019) observes that the increasing rate of homelessness in Australia exceeds the country’s population growth. Preti et al. (2024) make a similar discovery and highlight the rising number of homeless individuals who lack specialized care for palliative needs. Health side effects often accompany homelessness. According to Gordon et al. (2019), poor mental and physical health are common side effects of homelessness. Education and employment are two main social determinants influencing health outcomes, including homelessness. This review explores the relationship between homelessness and social factors, particularly focusing on education and employment among homeless individuals in Australia, and how these factors impact health outcomes through their interaction with social determinants.
The health status of homeless people is an important topic of research that helps identify conditions these vulnerable people go through. Housing is a determinant of health. According to Vallesi et al. (2021), homeless people in Australia experience health inequality with increased morbidity, barriers to access to primary health, and reduced life expectancy. Morbidity indicates the presence of more than one illness or disorder in a homeless person. Brown et al. (2019) point out the widespread drug and substance use among homeless people, an issue that causes mental health problems. Psychotic disorders like dementia and schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety are examples of mental health issues. Beard et al. (2022) explain that extended homelessness increases vulnerability to biopsychosocial health conditions that negatively impact the cognitive profile and increase the risk for dementia. The national Dementia strategy emphasizes the role of timely or early recognition as a policy goal in managing the disease; however, homeless people at higher risk of contracting the condition are hardly included (Manthorpe et al., 2019). When it comes to mortality, homelessness has adverse effects. Seastres et al. (2020) point out that deaths among younger and homeless Australians are a result of alcohol/drug use accidents, while aged homeless people succumb to cardiovascular diseases and, in some cases, cancer. Housing is a determinant of health, affecting the health outcomes of homeless people.
Employment is a social determinant that directly impacts homeless individuals. Marshall et al. (2022) identify employment as a key goal for homeless people. Getting employment is a way to generate income that allows housing stability and integration into the community. The ‘safety net’ in Australia protects people from going homeless; Prentice Scutella (2020), however, argues that people living in safety nets have similar outcomes in terms of employment and mental health to people experiencing homelessness. While employment is considered a key factor in solving the problem of homelessness, employed people can still be classified as homeless. For example, in Australia, people who live outside capital cities are more vulnerable to being homeless due to family structure, employment, = and overcrowding (Zufferey & Parkes, 2019). Employment is a social determinant that can increase or reduce homelessness. Homeless people can lack stable jobs that give financial and housing stability; on the other hand, a job may not pay enough to alleviate homelessness.
Education is the social determinant of health, providing literacy on various factors to homeless people. Health literacy is an important aspect of education that helps homeless people adopt safe healthcare practices. According to Rosenblad et al. (2024), low health literacy in homeless people is accompanied by challenges in managing, treating, and preventing health conditions. In addition, poor health literacy reduced behavioral efficacy and poor personal health (Rosenblad et al., 2024). Having healthcare literacy helps one to know the importance of services like vaccination, medical appointments, and even screening; in the long run, it leads to improved health status. Beard et al. (2022) explain that extended homelessness increases vulnerability to biopsychosocial health conditions that negatively impact the cognitive profile and increase the risk for dementia. When one has an education, it becomes easier to deal with and manage mental health conditions like depression, stress, anxiety, and conditions like dementia. Health literacy is an educational factor that is key to improving the health status of homeless people.
Education and employment are social factors that directly interact with each other to impact the health of homeless people. Low education negatively impacts employment. Cobb-Clark et al. (2017) highlight the relationship between individuals who were homeless in childhood and the rate of employment. Being homeless in childhood affects the quality of education, a factor that directly affects employment due to the quality and level of education. Heerde et al. (2020) describe that young people who are exposed to homelessness experience extreme disadvantages like social exclusion, and such experiences result in a reduction in motivation and school participation, leading to early school dropout. In addition to this, Heerde et al. (2020) emphasize the role of homelessness and its disruptive nature in education, a bridge to employment, and the establishment of a social network. Low education leads to unemployment and financial insecurity.
Poor healthcare for homeless people leads to health conditions that impact employment. Omerov et al. (2020) identify homelessness as a critical problem with victims suffering from mental and physical illness in addition to substance abuse and long-term conditions like chronic diseases. These health conditions hinder the physical and mental abilities needed to secure employment. Employment is a social determinant directly related to poor health, which education affects. Education brings about literacy in various fields, like health, a factor that can improve healthcare activities for homeless people.
Low education and poor health are factors that interrelate with each other to cause unemployment for homeless people. Morbidity indicates the presence of more than one illness or disorder in a homeless person. Brown et al. (2019) point out the widespread drug and substance use among homeless people, an issue that causes mental health problems. Psychotic disorders like dementia and schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety are examples of mental health issues. Beard et al. (2022) explain that extended homelessness. In this case, a lack of good education, coupled with poor health, will lead to unemployment for a homeless person. All these factors interrelate with each other to provide a health outcome. High-quality education and good health increase opportunities for employment.
Homelessness is a sensitive issue in Australia. The number of homeless populations keeps increasing yearly, more than the population growth rate. Education and employment are two social determinants that impact homelessness and health outcomes. Without employment, one faces financial insecurity that leads to housing instability and, finally, homelessness. On the other hand, education is a key to easing the homelessness problem by acting as a bridge to employment opportunities and income generation. Homeless people, however, have limited access to education due to challenges faced in hard living conditions. In the long run, homeless people develop health conditions like mental disorders, chronic diseases, and even cancer, conditions that further act as a barrier to employment. This review has explored the relationship between homelessness and social factors, particularly focusing on education and employment among homeless individuals in Australia and how these factors impact health outcomes through their interaction with social determinants.”
This academic report has complied with the university’s honesty policy. The review was conducted by searching keywords, reading articles and past peer-reviewed journals, and referencing the ones needed using the APA formatting style and guidelines. The authenticity of the research was improved by prior knowledge of the subject, the use of multiple journals to compare, contrast, and collect information, and my keen and unique interest in the lives of homeless people. All articles, journals, and previous scholarly articles used in the research have been referenced appropriately using the APA style guide.
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