Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug 6:333549251351541.
doi: 10.1177/00333549251351541. Online ahead of print.

A Survey of Physical and Mental Health Among People Experiencing Homelessness in Denver, Colorado, 2023

Jessica P Sherman  1   2   3 , Cara C Drehoff  1   4 , Caroline J Waddell  1 , Perri C Callaway  5 , Kristen E Marshall  2   4 , Alexis Burakoff  4 , Rachel Herlihy  4 , Ella Keenan  6 , Jennifer Loth Hill  6 , Nicholas Laramee  4 , Daiszha Cooley  4 , Briana Sprague  4 , Liesl M Hagan  2
Affiliations

A Survey of Physical and Mental Health Among People Experiencing Homelessness in Denver, Colorado, 2023

Jessica P Sherman et al. Public Health Rep. .

Abstract

Objectives: Homelessness increased by 31% from 2022 to 2023 in Denver, Colorado. We surveyed people experiencing homelessness in Denver to evaluate their health conditions and service needs and to identify factors associated with new or worsening health conditions after housing loss.

Methods: From October 28 through November 15, 2023, we surveyed 356 people experiencing homelessness in Denver. We fit multivariable logistic regression models using backward-fitting procedures to identify factors associated with reporting new or worsening health conditions after housing loss.

Results: The mean (SD) age of participants was 46.0 (13.7) years, 227 (63.7%) reported physical health conditions, and 207 (58.1%) reported mental health conditions that were new or worsening after experiencing homelessness. Chronic pain (n = 61; 17.1%) and depression (n = 123; 34.6%) were the most reported conditions. Eye care (n = 131; 36.8%), dental care (n = 95; 26.7%), and pain management (n = 54; 15.2%) were among the top service needs. Self-rated health declined by 22% after housing loss, from 3.4 (good or very good) before experiencing homelessness to 2.7 (fair or good) at the time of the survey, with a larger decline among those experiencing unsheltered homelessness than among those who were sheltered (0.95 vs 0.57; P = .006). As compared with men, women had higher odds of reporting new or worsening health conditions, whether physical (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.14-3.29) or mental (AOR = 2.14; 95% CI, 1.23-3.81). Experiencing violence was associated with reporting new or worsening mental health conditions (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.20-3.37) after housing loss.

Conclusion: Targeted interventions are needed to address the unique needs of unhoused women and those experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Denver.

Keywords: chronic medical conditions; chronic pain; homelessness; mental health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. de Sousa T, Andrichik A, Prestera E, Rush K, Tano C, Wheeler M. The Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: Part 1—Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness. US Department of Housing and Urban Development; 2023. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf
    1. Fazel S, Geddes JR, Kushel M. The health of homeless people in high-income countries: descriptive epidemiology, health consequences, and clinical and policy recommendations. Lancet. 2014;384(9953):1529-1540. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(14)61132-6 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bensken WP, Krieger NI, Berg KA, Einstadter D, Dalton JE, Perzynski AT. Health status and chronic disease burden of the homeless population: an analysis of two decades of multi-institutional electronic medical records. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2021;32(3):1619-1634. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2021.0153 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gutwinski S, Schreiter S, Deutscher K, Fazel S. The prevalence of mental disorders among homeless people in high-income countries: an updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis. PLoS Med. 2021;18(8):e1003750. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003750 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Funk AM, Greene RN, Dill K, Valvassori P. The impact of homelessness on mortality of individuals living in the United States: a systematic review of the literature. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2022;33(1):457-477. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2022.0035 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources