New research from London, Ontario. It reveals the cost the homelessness crisis has had on our health care system.
Nearly 30,000 Canadians were homeless at the time of hospitalization and/or discharge, according to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
The report found that people without a home typically spend twice as long in hospital and cost twice as much.
“That's because people who come to the hospital after experiencing homelessness are often in critical condition,” said study co-author Cheryl Forchuk, associate scientific director at Lawson Health Research Institute. .
The study found that people experiencing homelessness are hospitalized for an average of 15 days, while the national average is eight days. The average cost per stay was $16,800 and the national average was $7,800.
“If you look at the homeless population, whether it's related to health, people's lives will be worse off if they don't have a home,” Forchuk said.
These findings are not surprising to outside agencies trying to find stable housing for people.
“Some people were literally digging holes in the ground to escape the cold,” said Joe Mancini, executive director of the Working Center in Kitchener, Ont.
Mancini points out that basic amenities such as heating and running water are essential to maintaining health.
“Health issues creep in from there,” he says. “Your immune system breaks down. Your flu gets worse, your pneumonia gets worse, and so on. That's why you have so many hospital visits.”
The study's authors and Mancini believe the solution is simple but requires investment.
“Systems and hospital systems understand how much homelessness increases costs for hospital systems, and they can reduce costs by building more housing and creating more support in the community. ” suggested Mancini.
CTV News reached out to Grand River Hospital, Cambridge Memorial Hospital and Waterloo Region, but none were available for this story.
