Understanding how housing instability and homelessness affect protected groups
An affordable, secure and quality home is central to good health and well-being. Yet, the relationship between health and housing is complex, with many interconnected factors. Housing instability and homelessness can intersect with and drive health inequalities making some groups more vulnerable. Understanding this relationship is important to address health inequalities when improving and redesigning health and care services.
In the Equalities considerations for housing homelessness, health and care report Healthcare Improvement Scotland explore:
- housing and homelessness issues that affect people with protected characteristics
- key health and well-being issues linked to housing and homelessness
- examples of health and care working with housing and homeless services to improve care within the home for protected groups, and
- recommendations for health and care services planning and delivering care in the home.
This report makes the following recommendations for health and care services planning and delivering care in the home.
- On completion of programme Equality Impact Assessment, take into account the inequalities in housing and / or homelessness that people impacted by the programme may face.
- In programme planning, consider where housing and/or homelessness may be a key driver of outcomes to reduce inequalities.
- Consider where housing and/or homelessness services may add value to programme governance or advisory functions.
- Engage with housing and/or homelessness policy leads to ensure housing related challenges, improvements and priorities are articulated and integrated with health and social care objectives and priorities.
Continue reading the report summary: Equalities Considerations for Housing, Homelessness, Health and Care
Continue reading the full report: Equalities Considerations for Housing, Homelessness, Health and Care