Abstract
Health care providers and others in the community who serve homeless populations have long made the connection between homelessness and poor health. Many agencies who serve the homeless have identified permanent housing as the solution to the health problems faced by homeless individuals. Efforts to end homelessness have demonstrated decreases in the homeless population, however, this progress has been slow and homelessness persists along with the associated poor health outcomes within the homeless population. This paper considers other factors that impact the health of the homeless population and helps explain the complicated relationship between homelessness and poor health. This comprehensive approach to health is key to developing appropriate public health intervention strategies to improve health outcomes among those who are homeless even as they transition from homelessness to permanent housing.