Availability of safe, secure, good quality housing is a key determinant of health, but an individual’s housing status is not routinely collected by health care services.
Using a novel approach to bring together information on housing status across services, this report estimates there are over 15,000 individuals with lived experience of homelessness in Wales. This includes nearly 2,000 individuals who were recorded as being homelessness during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Through data linkage, the team were able to create a more comprehensive picture of health amongst this population, despite housing status being inconsistently recorded across services.
Ruth Power, CEO of Shelter Cymru, said: ‘We welcome this report that evidences the significant additional health issues associated with homelessness and inadequate housing. The data reinforces our experience of providing housing advice to people across Wales - high quality, affordable housing is fundamental to good health and wellbeing.’
