Discrimination against homeless people
The term "homelessness" was first coined in the 1870s as a response to the negative perception Americans had of the many young men travelling the country who were viewed as troublemakers and nontraditional tramps due to their unwillingness to participate in factory work.
[3] In addition, incarceration rates have disproportionately increased while jailhouse programs tasked with providing ex-offenders with job training and tangible employment opportunities have been cut, leaving a sizeable segment of the population with decreased resources to avoid poverty and potential homelessness.
For instance, research focusing on adults who self identified as part of a sexual or gender minority revealed that this cohort reported higher rates of discrimination and subsequent mental health deterioration as a result, oftentimes leading to increased substance abuse.
Intersectional studies of discrimination revealed that mothers face higher rates of eviction than men due to gendered stigma, with African American and Latina women being disproportionately affected.
[6] Accessing shelter and preventative assistance was found to be deterred by fear of attracting the attention of Child Protective Services, as well as the stigma associated with substance abuse and the perceived correlation to poor parenting.
[6] Studies of young people experiencing homelessness have provided a cross analysis including minoritized groups and subsequently revealed that gender minorities reported lower levels of hope caused by comparatively decreased access to social support.
[10] The criminalization of panhandling, destruction of property, and forced removal from public and private areas has been argued by opponents to be violations of the First Amendment's protection of free speech and unlawful search and seizure.
[12] The criminalization of sleeping or camping in public and private areas was ruled as unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals on the grounds that it is a violation of the Eighth Amendment's protection from cruel and unusual punishment.
[16][17] Anti-camping legislation in municipalities has increased because of the 2024 Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which states that the criminalization of homeless people sleeping in public areas or setting up encampments does not constitute as a violation of the Eighth Amendment.
Without access to bathrooms, many unsheltered homeless people across the country are left to live in unsanitary conditions which, in turn, leads to public health concerns such as the hepatitis A outbreak in California during 2016–2018.
Homeless youth, especially those from minority groups, have to deal with considerable mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD, which are further aggravated by experiences of discrimination, trauma, and lack of consistent housing.
[33] Adopting the Housing First Initiative and trauma-informed care models as part of systems to reduce discrimination and increase access to services for homeless populations can be crucial to ensuring health improvement.
[36] Mental health issues are rampant among homeless people, especially among minority youths, because they suffer compounded effects from harmful living conditions, trauma, and discrimination from systems.
[37] A study conducted on homeless minority youths in Los Angeles found that the experience of racial and ethnic discrimination is very closely related to emotional distress like depression and anxiety.
[32] A study conducted in Canada regarding indigenous homeless youth also revealed that their major challenges in mental health are anxiety and depression with suicidal thoughts.
Programs designed with input from people who have lived experience prove effective in their successes of achieving better mental health outcomes and filling service gaps.
Such impediments, combined with administrative barriers such as limited clinic operating hours and complicated intake procedures, frequently result in missed appointments or avoidance of care entirely.
