Key Issues in Rural Health Care and Homelessness

Homelessness is sometimes broadly framed as an urban issue facing cities in the United States, but evidence suggests that homelessness rates continue to rise in rural areas of the country, as well as urban ones. Expanding access to health care to homeless individuals in rural areas requires understanding the specific conditions that give rise to both homelessness and poor health in those areas and utilizing service models and approaches that are responsive to the specific needs and challenges facing rural communities. This resource will examine some key issues related to rural homelessness, including definitions of rurality, rural barriers to health care access and the health impacts that result from this lack of access, and common landscapes of homelessness in rural areas.