Urban Troubles

The extent to which marginalized communities receive sufficient attention has become an ever-growing debate. As urban areas continue to populate, the decline of stable housing has become increasingly evident. Major cities, such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York City have massive unhoused populations that continue to rise, due to instability in the housing market. Individuals in these areas are greatly exposed to environmental hazards, including air pollution and extreme heat. Unfortunately, several of these issues are overlooked.  Health care systems and the government often fail to fully protect the unhoused community from the unfavorable effects of the environment. These hazards not only harm their health, but also create financial burdens for public systems, highlighting systemic failures in economics and healthcare.

Environmental Hazards and Health Risks

Apart from unstable shelter, unhoused communities face continuous environmental hazards, from air pollution to extreme weather. Air pollution is a significant hazard in densely populated areas due the prominence of factories and highways. Unsheltered individuals live in close proximity to these crowded areas, making them susceptible to high exposure of these issues in their daily activities. 

These communities also tackle poor sanitation, as well as heat and wildfires. According to The National Library of Medicine, unhoused people have limited access to hygiene and water, with “6% of these individuals in Los Angeles obtaining water from fire hydrants”(NLM).  The failure of accessible necessities highlights an absence of adequate protection, leaving unhoused communities vulnerable to health risks.

Perpetual exposure to these environmental dangers tremendously increases the risk of developing health issues. Researchers at Georgetown University conducted a study, linking homelessness to increased health risks, and found that “prolonged exposure to air pollution, wildfire-related or otherwise, leads to higher incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory mortality rates” (Georgetown Law). On an everyday basis, homeless populations are exposed to these conditions, raising the likelihood of environmentally related health effects . During weather events such as wildfires, unhoused individuals are the demographic most likely to visit the emergency room. They face a greater inequality during weather and environmental threats, demonstrating a broader failure of systemic programs in taking effective action. These health effects often go without proper care, as the root cause lies within the environment, not individual behavior.

Economic Implications + Systemic Causes

With the rise of health difficulties among unsheltered communities, government and health care systems rely on short-term solutions rather than preventative, long-term ones. Costs for healthcare trips are shifted to public systems, as a lack of equal access to them persists. Consequently, there’s an increase in health spending from the government and healthcare systems, so they recognize a need to prevent problems early. Otherwise, these systems end up spending a substantial amount of money along the road. This priority for financial gain demonstrates inefficiency and systemic failure.

 These systemic issues are also largely responsible for the housing crisis. There’s limited intervention from the government as the unhoused population continues to increase. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition(NLIHC), there’s a major housing shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes. This issue is the leading cause of numerous challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness. 

Solutions

Rather than employing plans that overlook the struggles faced by these communities, governments should ultimately provide these people with easier access to sanitation, increase healthcare access, and strengthen affordable housing laws. These would all directly work to address the many difficulties unhoused individuals live with, especially environmental ones. Though these wouldn’t immediately resolve the issues, they would significantly reduce the amount of long-term health problems many of these individuals experience. 

Mission of Project Lux

Addressing these issues requires improving healthcare access, highlighting the importance of Project Lux’s efforts , which work to expand access for unhoused communities through care navigation. Project Lux aids in mitigating the constant struggles faced by unsheltered communities, as  they work to bridge gaps between these communities and implications on healthcare systems by bringing attention to inequalities. Ultimately, meaningful progress depends on sustained attention, rather than surface level solutions.