Morbidity and housing status 10 years after shelter use-follow-up of homeless men in Helsinki, Finland.

Background: Homelessness is associated with increased mortality, morbidity and social difficulties and periods of homelessness are sometimes prolonged or repeated. However, there are no long-term follow-up studies focusing upon housing status among homeless people. The aim of this study was to examine morbidity and housing outcomes and to identify factors predicting being independently housed 10 years after shelter use.

Methods: By combining data from several registers we followed all 552 homeless men who stayed in shelter in Helsinki during 2004 and determined their housing situation and morbidity 10 years later. Their situation was compared with an age-matched control group from the general population (N = 946). Using logistic regression analysis, we assessed the predictive effects of socioeconomic factors and health service use at baseline on becoming independently housed.

Results: By the end of the follow-up 52.0% of the formerly homeless study group had died, compared with 14.6% of the controls. At 10 years, 6.0% were independently housed, 37.5% lived in supported housing and 4.5% were still or again homeless. Psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorder, were present in 77.5% of the homeless, compared with 16.1% among the controls. Being married (OR 8.3, 95% CI 3.0 to 23.2) and having less than four shelter nights in year 2004 (OR 9.1, 95% CI 2.7 to 30.8) strongly predicted being independently housed 10 years later.

Conclusions: Homeless staying in shelters have high mortality and morbidity and most of those surviving, are in need of support in their everyday lives even years after the shelter period.