Rurality or distance to care and the risk of homelessness among Afghanistan and Iraq veterans

We examined differences in the rate of homelessness within a year of a Veteran ’s first encounter with the VA following last military separation based on rurality and distance to the nearest VA facility using multivariable log-binomial regressions. Findings In our cohort of 708,318 Veterans, 84.3% were determined to have a forwarding address in urban areas, 60.4% and 88.7 % lived within 40 miles of the nearest VA medical center (VAMC), respectively. Veterans living in a rural area (RR=0.763; 95% CI=0.718-0.810) and those living between 20-40 miles (RR=0.893; 95% CI=0.846-0.943) and 40+ miles away from the nearest VAMC (RR=0.928; 95% CI=0.879-0.979) were at a lower ri sk for homelessness. Originality/value Our unique dataset allowed us to explore the relationship between geography and homelessness. These results are important to VA and national policy makers in understanding the risk factors for homelessness among Veterans and planning interventions.
Source: Housing, Care and Support - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research