The health status of homeless individuals in Ukraine is characterized by a significant predominance of negative assessments (59%), according to the results of a study conducted by the Depaul Ukraine charitable foundation in cooperation with the Rating sociological group and the Institute of Demography and presented during the Right to a Dignified Life conference on overcoming the homelessness crisis in Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday.
In total, the majority of respondents rate their health as "rather poor" (36%) or "very poor" (23%). Access to medical care is considered limited by the homeless: only 54% of respondents noted that they receive the necessary treatment consistently, while 25% of respondents mostly do not receive the necessary assistance. The vast majority of the homeless (77%) remain without professional psychological support.
Difficulties with mobility are experienced by 58% of the homeless, pain or discomfort by 51%, and 38% face mental health issues.
At the same time, the majority of surveyed homeless individuals (63%) noted that they have never faced alcohol addiction in their lives. Among those who faced alcohol addiction, 53% had this problem before losing their housing, and 38% became addicted after ending up on the street.
Some 92% of respondents noted that they have never faced drug addiction in their lives. Of those who did, 68% had this problem before losing their housing, and 21% became addicted after ending up on the street.
The study results emphasize that the survey was conducted in shelters/centers and near feeding points on the streets, and therefore the results obtained regarding the place of overnight stay may not reflect the real picture. At the same time, breakdowns by gender, age, or other characteristics show certain trends in the choice of overnight stay locations among various categories of the homeless.
A third of respondents (37%) note the presence of problems with their citizen’s passport and individual tax number certificate, while another portion notes problems with their pension certificate (19%) and internally displaced person status certificate (13%).
Some 41% of respondents note that their main source of income is state benefits. Slightly fewer point to assistance from charitable foundations (18%), paid work (17%), and the collection of recyclable materials (10%).
The vast majority of respondents (78%) indicated that they currently do not have a job, another 16% work temporarily, and only 6% have a permanent job. The homeless noted the collection and sorting of recyclable materials as the most popular job, followed by cleaning territories, helping around the house, and working as a security guard or watchman. Slightly fewer worked as a courier or engaged in seasonal agricultural work.
Regarding the main needs of the homeless, they most need permanent housing (51%), a permanent job (37%), and medical care (36%). The absolute majority (86%) would like to receive assistance to return to a stable life.
During the study on April 1-30, some 1,090 respondents aged 18 and older who visit facilities for the homeless (service centers and feeding points) in the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Lviv were surveyed. Survey method: personal formalized interview (face-to-face). The margin of error of the study with a confidence level of 0.95 is no more than 5.0% for each city.
