Page 128 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2025

HEALTHY LIVING
Home and Health:
The Critical Connection
story by Dr. Nickie Harris-Ray
Many people do not see inadequate housing and homelessness as medical issues. However, lack of adequate housing impacts health, so it’s important to understand the difficulties the affected individuals face. Recently, a range of challenges have come to light
on the Gulf Coast due to issues this population faced after relocation due to the Superbowl in New Orleans and inadequate shelter availability during the historic January snowstorm.
Housing significantly affects health. People in low- income communities often face poor housing conditions, which can harm their health. Homelessness poses significant challenges for the health and well-being of individuals. Not only can medical problems contribute to homelessness, but the state of homelessness itself
can worsen health issues and put people at higher risk for illness. People living in poor housing conditions are more likely to suffer from both short-term and long-term health problems, resulting in higher rates of illness and death.
In addition to physical diseases, mental illness rates vary widely among people without adequate housing. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 57 percent of current individuals in inadequate housing and homelessness had mental health problems in their lifetime, and 39 percent currently suffer from mental
illness. This can lead to high rates of substance use. Children in inadequate housing situations can also
have poorer health outcomes. They suffer from more infectious diseases such as respiratory infections and diarrhea and have more nutritional disorders.
Dr. Cierra Green, a family practice physician in Harrison County, says in addition to the nutritional issues she sees with minors in improper housing, inadequate power in homes has also led to problems with her asthmatic and diabetic pediatric patients.
“In some cases of minors living in unsatisfactory conditions, they have extreme asthmatic complications because there is no electricity to power their nebulizers, so they aren’t receiving adequate relief of symptoms. Also, without proper refrigeration, diabetics are unable to properly store and maintain their medications to treat their blood sugar levels.”
She adds that they also suffer additional mental health problems from lack of sleep and stress due to their living conditions.
Understanding these details can help communities to be more compassionate. By examining the many reasons for poor housing and homelessness and their associated risks, those in a position to help can better understand how to combat them, reduce risk, and deal with the ensuing health issues.
128 | March 2025
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