Reproductive and Sexual Health in Homeless Populations

-

 


People experiencing homelessness have frequently reported higher rates of issues involving sexual and reproductive health than their non-homeless counterparts. Sexual and reproductive health is something explored often through healthcare; however, what happens when people do not have the support of those resources? Researchers have conducted many qualitative studies on the reproductive health of homeless populations, and some main themes have appeared.  Both adult and adolescent people experiencing homelessness reported experience with unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, as well as sexual exploitation. Adult women experiencing homelessness also reported higher levels of reproductive health-related trauma compared to women not experiencing homelessness. Many women have also reported experience with self-administered abortions, which open up the door to many health issues. 

Why Should We Care

Through an intersectional lens, housing, and reproductive health are interconnected human rights. Studies have shown that a person's housing status can affect their ability to access sexual and reproductive health services. Since the two issues are so interwoven, any approach to understanding and working to fix one requires consideration of the other. One method that researchers propose is creating more access to both contraceptives as well as sexual education for groups experiencing homelessness. Health infrastructures working with homeless populations should also create spaces for gender-sensitive models of healthcare to provide the most support. There is a lot of work for policymakers, but there are still ways anyone can help.

How to Help 

There are no organizations in the Portland area designed specifically to deal with the sexual and reproductive health of homeless populations. Outside of advocating for proper legislation, donating to organizations that help mitigate reproductive health issues is helpful by providing a place to take care of hygiene and have a safe place to stay. The Rose Haven is an organization that works to provide these resources to those in need. Facing the sexual and reproductive health issues of those in homeless populations is no easy feat, but donating to the link below can start moving the discussion in the right direction. 

Rose Haven: https://rosehaven.org/

References

Cronley, C., Hohn, K., & Nahar, S. (2017). Reproductive health rights and survival: The voices of mothers experiencing homelessness. Women & Health, 58(3), 320-333. https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2017.1296060

Ensign, J. (2001). Reproductive health of homeless adolescent women in seattle, washington, USA. Women & Health, 31(2-3), 133-151. https://doi.org/10.1300/j013v31n02_07

Ussher, J. M., Chrisler, J. C., & Perz, J. (2020). Routledge international handbook of women's sexual and reproductive health. Routledge.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Domestic Violence within the Homeless Community

-
Image
  Domestic Violence within the Homeless Community Source: Unsplash The Facts                                                                                          According to  Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 233,832 are people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the United States. Of the 233,832, 50,767 are families with children.  Currently, 30% of homeless people are adult women.  (portlandoregon.gov)   Bradley Angle , which works to support survivors of  domestic violence , reported that 70% of domestic violence reports are from homeless women. ( www.kgw.com)  Homeless women are 1/3 of the fastest growing populations HUD homeless populations. ( portlandoregon.gov)   Specifically, in Por...
Read more

Understanding Homelessness

-
Image
  Source (American Addiction Centers)      Homelessness has a myriad of different reasons it can happen. The similarity between all scenarios in which a person is experiencing homelessness is that each person is human. A popular belief is that homelessness is a choice. People believe there is a set amount of circumstances that cause homelessness and that it is a choice not to fight to get out of those problems. The problems can range from mental health issues to drug addiction. There is no one size fits all, and it is not a choice.  Over the last few weeks, I have learned that there are many factors that can lead to homelessness. One big one that focuses on our class is how affordable housing, or the lack thereof, is a significant contributor to people not getting back on their feet. If you want to learn more about that subject and if affordable housing can help, click here.   This lack of affordable housing is a big roadblock for those trying to ove...
Read more

Air pollution caused by wildfires may increase risk of dementia

-
Image
  There are already more than 57 million dementia sufferers in the world, and by 2050, that figure is predicted to rise to 153 million. It is estimated that risk factors like exposure to air pollution account for up to 40% of these instances. Even when annual exposure was lower than the current EPA annual threshold of 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air (g/m3), the researchers discovered continuous evidence of a relationship between PM2.5 and dementia. The researchers discovered a 17% increase in risk for dementia for every 2 g/m3 increase in average yearly exposure to PM2.5, specifically among the studies using active case ascertainment. Despite the fact that the data was more sparse, they also discovered evidence supporting links between dementia and nitrogen oxide (5% increase in risk for every 10 g/m3 increase in yearly exposure) and nitrogen dioxide (2% increase in risk for every 10 g/m3 increase in annual exposure). According to a recent University of Michigan study, wildfi...
Read more