Homeless Population in Woodbridge, Virginia. Paper Example

Homeless people reside in some form of transitional or emergency shelters, runaway youth shelters, domestic violence shelters, and places that are not meant for human habitation, including stairways, abandoned buildings, alleys, parks, and streets. A community health needs assessment of Woodbridge, Virginia, was conducted and provided data about health and health-related issues that impact homeless people's health status. The assessment involved a review of the population characteristics like ethnic and racial composition, educational level, age, and standards of living in the community as crucial indicators of health. The assessment also examines disease risk factors such as smoking, alcoholism, and obesity as health determinants.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The priority health issues in Woodbridge, Virginia include chronic disease and conditions, Access to healthcare, Injury and Violence, tobacco and substance use, and obesity, nutrition, and physical activity leading to homelessness, low income, and no access to care (Prince William Health District, 2019). Thus, homelessness is a public health problem. People experiencing it have an enhanced rate of chronic health conditions, have very low income, and are unable to access care when needed or comply with prescribed medication.

According to a report by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (2019), the State of Virginia has approximately 5,783 people facing homelessness daily. 881 of the total are people encountering chronic homelessness, 652 are family households, 447 are veterans and 258 runaway youths. Nonetheless, in comparison to other U.S. states, Virginia is fairly better. In Woodbridge, Prince Williams county, an estimated 277 people are experiencing homelessness compared to 1034 people in neighboring Farifax county as of January 2019 (Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, 2019).

One of the factors contributing to homelessness in Woodbridge is housing costs, while wages, particularly of less-educated employees, are not keeping pace, leading to limited affordable housing options. Thus, extremely low-income households are burdened by housing costs. Also, health conditions contribute to homelessness exacerbating poor mental and physical health, which contribute to tobacco, and substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. In Woodbridge, many homeless people cannot access healthcare and suffer from a serious chronic health condition and mental illness. Besides, there is a history of domestic violence trauma among the homeless, which implies that homeless people are less likely to have frequent sources of health and behavioral healthcare. They are most likely to visit the emergency room, have longer stays in hospital if admitted, and have a higher probability of readmission.

In conclusion, across the Woodbridge region, homelessness is among the community health issues. They cannot afford healthcare since they have low incomes, while others have severe health conditions. Thus, there is a need to reduce the number of homeless people.

References

Continuum of Care. (2019). The 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2019-AHAR-Part-1.pdf

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. (2019). HOMELESSNESS IN METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON: Results and Analysis from the Annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of Persons Experiencing Homelessness. WTOP | Washington's Top News. https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019_PIT_report_FINAL.pdf

Prince William Health District. (2019). Greater Prince William Community Health Assessment, 2019. Be Healthy Be Happy Prince William. https://www.behealthybehappyprincewilliam.com/content/sites/princewilliam/Greater_Prince_William_Community_