Homeless and hungry: food insecurity in the land of plenty

Abstract

Homelessness continues to challenge service providers in the United States where 600,000+ individuals are without their own place to stay on any given night. With significant barriers preventing access to food, homeless persons remain at risk for experiencing long-term food insecurity. As such, the primary intent of this paper was to examine specific hypotheses that explored the impact of both risks/stressors and resources on the reported food insecurity among homeless adults. Using a stratified quota sample, data were collected from homeless adults residing in two counties in Northwest Arkansas. One hundred and sixty-eight face-to-face interviews were conducted with homeless persons living in sheltered and unsheltered environments. We found a strong positive association with persons who had been arrested and reported food insecurity; anxiety symptoms and physical health symptoms were both positively related to food insecurity. Additionally, there were significant resources (access to medical services, and community connectedness) that were negatively related to food insecurity among homeless adults. Findings are discussed in the context of how important it is for service providers to have a clear picture of the health and well-being of their clientele, particularly as they work towards minimizing service disruption and maximizing client access to sustainable food sources.

Smartphone Technology to Empower People Experiencing Homelessness: Secondary Analysis

“…Many people experiencing homelessness face difficulties in connecting to and accessing appropriate health and social services because of social and psychological barriers such as stigma, lack of trust in health care providers, and transient lifestyles [9][10][11]. Furthermore, people experiencing homelessness struggle to meet the basic needs such as food, shelter, and transportation, resulting in self-management of chronic health conditions being overlooked or neglected [12][13][14]. These barriers and competing priorities contribute to adverse outcomes, including reliance on emergency departments (EDs) or hospitals for nonemergent health care services and increased risk of 30-day hospital readmissions [15][16][17].…”

Experiences with a Student-Run, In-Clinic Food Donation Program for Uninsured Patients in Nashville

“…11 These results suggest the STC population has substantially greater food needs than national and local estimates. [2][3][4] This finding supports the idea that the most vulnerable patients are more likely to seek healthcare at student-run free clinics and justifies the integration of foodrelated resources into clinical structures. Two primary challenges in implementing an in-clinic food donations program were addressed: reducing food waste and targeting our donations to those most at-risk for FI.…”

“…Food insecurity (FI), defined as the inability to access healthy food, is an ongoing national concern that disproportionately affects disadvantaged populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and the uninsured. 1,2 The 2020 United States Census reported as high as 23% of households experience FI. 3 According to the Vanderbilt Child Health Poll conducted by the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy, in Tennessee specifically, an estimated two out of five kids and their families suffer from FI, a statistic much higher than the national average.…”

Dostęp do usług medycznych i społecznych wśród osób doświadczających bezdomności w Krakowie w Polsce w czasie pandemii COVID-19

“…Improper nutrition can cause many different diseases, such as tooth decay, gallstone disease, osteoporosis, obesity, several diseases of the large intestine, diabetes, and various types of cancer. Food insecurity and the risk of negative health effects associated with it are usually not so much related to food shortage, as to limited access to healthy food and socially acceptable ways of accessing it [26].…”