Work and Health Needs of Individuals with Unstable or Lack of Housing

The bidirectional link between work and health is well established and working towards mitigating disparities in these areas could have substantial impacts on the lives of those that are deeply impacted by poor health and a lack of work. The specific aims of this project were to (1) describe health care utilization of individuals with a lack of housing or affected by homelessness using the Illinois Hospital Discharge database, (2) assess chiropractic interns’ attitudes and behaviors towards occupational history taking at a clinic serving a population affected by unstable or a lack of housing and behavior changes following occupational health assessment training, and (3) evaluate needs for a comprehensive return to work program among residents of a residential work rehabilitation program for individuals with unstable or lack of housing by assessing past, present and future employment needs and expectations within this vulnerable population. These projects developed reliable tools and baseline data that can be used to further explore these issues. The results, added to the growing body of literature on these topics, can be applied to inform the design of comprehensive and collaborative programs to address the intersection of health and work in those without stable housing, acknowledging the protective effects of employment on securing and maintaining stable housing.