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Homelessness and addiction are lamentably intertwined but not in the ways most people expect, according to a recent LA Times article. The article states that the majority of unhoused persons do not use illegal drugs, despite potentially damaging assumptions to the contrary.
The article is based on a study by the Benioff Homeless and Housing Initiative at UC San Francisco and published in JAMA. The researchers found that there may be more to these assumptions than meets the eye. Such stereotypes may have stigmatized the unhoused community.
Benioff’s study found only 37% of unhoused individuals use illicit drugs on a regular basis and 25% claimed they have never used drugs.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that drug use isn’t a very obvious epidemic in cities nationwide. Roughly 65% of those surveyed reported that they had regularly used drugs in the past.
The study also identified homelessness as a risk factor in addiction. Approximately 27% of unhoused persons surveyed claimed that they only took up drug use after they became homeless.
What is perhaps most surprising is that 35% claimed that their harrowing situation was actually a sobering experience, literally and figuratively. The researchers spoke with individuals who were either parents concerned with losing custody of their children or individuals who had simply “reached that point” where life in addiction had become unsustainable.
Lead researcher, Margot Kushel, stated in an interview that “one of the most poignant findings was that 1 in 5…are actively seeking treatment and couldn’t get it.” Their research also found that only 7% of respondents with a history of substance misuse were receiving treatment.
All of these findings helped shed light on something disturbingly obvious: there is a regrettable lack of access to care for unhoused individuals who may not be able to afford treatment through traditional means.
Fortunately, though, there is help for unhoused persons. Treatment centers offering low and no cost programs for eligible persons are available throughout the US. Our directory can help you find recovery programs that offer funding support and are committed to serving anyone in need, regardless of their ability to pay.
