Lifetime, 5-year and past-year prevalence of homelessness in Europe: a cross-national survey in eight European nations
Owen Taylor,
Sandrine Loubiere,
Aurelie Tinland,
Maria Vargas-Moniz,
Freek Spinnewijn,
Rachel Manning,
Marta Gaboardi,
Judith R L M Wolf,
Ana Bokszczanin,
Roberto Bernad,
Hakan Kallmen,
Paul Toro,
Jose Ornelas,
Pascal Auquier,
Maria J Vargas-Moniz,
Maria F Jorge-Monteiro,
Ronni M Greenwood,
Rachel M Manning,
Branagh O'Shaughnessy,
Inês Almas,
Teresa Duarte,
Francesca Disperati,
Michela Lenzi,
Massimo Santinello,
Alessio Vieno,
Rita P Marques,
Maria Carmona,
Américo Nave,
Borja Rivero,
Martin Julián,
Anna Bokszczanin,
Barbara Zmaczynska–Witek,
Skałacka Katarzyna,
Aleksandra Rogowska,
Sandra Schel,
Yvonne Peters,
Tessa van Loenen,
Liselotte Raben,
Judith R Wolf,
Ulla Beijer,
Mats Blid,
Teresa Bispo,
Tiago Cruz,
Carla Pereira,
Junie M Petit
Affiliations
Owen Taylor
1 School of Medicine – La Timone Medical Campus, EA 3279: CEReSS, Aix-Marseille Universite, Marseille, France
Sandrine Loubiere
Department of Clinical Research and Innovation, Support Unit for clinical research and economic evaluation, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Aurelie Tinland
Department of Psychiatry, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
Maria Vargas-Moniz
3 APPsyCI - Applied Psychology Research Center: Capabilities and Inclusion, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
Freek Spinnewijn
European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), Brussels, Belgium
Rachel Manning
5 Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Marta Gaboardi
6 Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova School of Psychology, Padova, Veneto, Italy
Judith R L M Wolf
7 Impuls - Netherlands Center for Social Care Research, Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Ana Bokszczanin
8 Institute of Psychology, Opole University, Opole, Poland
Roberto Bernad
9 Rais Fundación, Madrid, Spain
Hakan Kallmen
10 Stockholm Center for Psychiatry Research and Education, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden
Paul Toro
11 Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Jose Ornelas
3 APPsyCI - Applied Psychology Research Center: Capabilities and Inclusion, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
Pascal Auquier
EA 3279 (Santé Publique : Qualité de Vie et Maladies Chroniques), Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
Objectives To examine the lifetime, 5-year and past-year prevalence of homelessness among European citizens in eight European nations.Design A nationally representative telephone survey using trained bilingual interviewers and computer-assisted telephone interview software.Setting The study was conducted in France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.Participants European adult citizens, selected from opt-in panels from March to December 2017. Total desired sample size was 5600, with 700 per country. Expected response rates of approximately 30% led to initial sample sizes of 2500 per country.Main outcome measures History of homelessness was assessed for lifetime, past 5 years and past year. Sociodemographic data were collected to assess correlates of homelessness prevalence using generalised linear models for clustered and weighted samples.Results Response rates ranged from 30.4% to 33.5% (n=5631). Homelessness prevalence was 4.96% for lifetime (95% CI 4.39% to 5.59%), 1.92% in the past 5 years (95% CI 1.57% to 2.33%) and 0.71% for the past year (95% CI 0.51% to 0.98%) and varied significantly between countries (pairwise comparison difference test, p<0.0001). Time spent homeless ranged between less than a week (21%) and more than a year (18%), with high contrasts between countries (p<0.0001). Male gender, age 45–54, lower secondary education, single status, unemployment and an urban environment were all independently strongly associated with lifetime homelessness (all OR >1.5).Conclusions The prevalence of homelessness among the surveyed nations is significantly higher than might be expected from point-in-time and homeless service use statistics. There was substantial variation in estimated prevalence across the eight nations. Coupled with the well-established health impacts of homelessness, medical professionals need to be aware of the increased health risks of those with experience of homelessness. These findings support policies aiming to improve health services for people exposed to homelessness.
