What can social workers do to help the growing number of people experiencing homelessness? The view from an urban hospital Emergency Department

Abstract

Homelessness is a growing problem nationwide. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the number of people experiencing homelessness rose 12% from 2022 to 2023 (HUD Exchange, 2024b). Low vacancy rates, increased rent costs, and income inequality all comprise difficult structural factors locking people out of the housing market. Those who most harshly bear the brunt of this crisis are people with social vulnerabilities. This paper analyzes the social problem of homelessness from the perspective of an urban hospital Emergency Department (ED), Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) in New Haven, Connecticut. Social workers in these settings have a dual role: working directly with individuals and families to connect them with available services and resources and advocating for structural interventions that can ultimately ease this problem. Social workers are also at the forefront of combating any stigma unhoused persons face by both approaching patients experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect while educating others that this problem is not one of the individual, but is rather a consequence of multiple other social problems we have collectively failed to address.