• Neelam Mistry, Julie Knoeckel, Lauren McBeth, Amanda Johnson, Erin Bredenberg, Katie Raffel, John Cunningham, Ellen Sarcone, Gregory Misky, and Sarah A Stella.
• Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
• J Hosp Med. 2024 Jan 1; 19 (1): 455045-50.

AbstractAlthough homelessness is associated with increased acute healthcare utilization and poorer health outcomes, the prevalence of homelessness and housing insecurity in hospitalized patients is poorly characterized. We conducted an in-person survey to determine the prevalence of housing insecurity and homelessness among hospitalized patients at two hospitals in metropolitan Denver in conjunction with the Housing and Urban Development point-in-time count on January 24, 2022. Of the 271 surveyed patients, 79 (29.2%) reported experiencing either housing insecurity (17.3%) or homelessness (11.8%). Of those experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness, 69.6% reported chronic health conditions, 55.7% reported multiple hospitalizations in the preceding year, 38% reported mental health concerns and 39.2% reported substance use. The prevalence of homelessness among a hospitalized patient population was over 20-fold higher than community prevalence estimates. Housing insecurity also impacted a substantial proportion of hospitalized patients and was associated with high rates of co-morbid conditions.© 2023 Society of Hospital Medicine.

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