Healthy Williamson County :: Indicators :: Homeless Population

Red is bad, green is good, blue is not statistically different/neutral.

Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

Why is this important?

Homelessness is a distressing experience that significantly impacts health and wellbeing. Factors contributing to homelessness generally fall into two categories: structural issues (e.g. lack of affordable housing, economic downturns, deinstitutionalization of patients with mental health problems) and individual factors (e.g. physical or mental illness, unemployment, substance abuse, domestic violence).

Homeless people are more vulnerable to assault and experience higher rates of a range of health issues, such as infectious diseases, mental health problems, physical disorders, disability, and premature death. The homeless population has a high rate of emergency department use, but faces significant challenges in accessing care through other venues. For children, homelessness is a particularly stressful experience that may impact their mental health, emotional development, and ability to learn.

More...