Unstable housing increases HIV risk

ATLANTA, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- There is a demonstrable correlation between a person's housing status and his or her likelihood of transmitting or getting HIV, U.S. researchers found.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said the findings prompted them to issue a call to action that "homelessness be treated as a major public health issue confronting the United States."

The findings, published in a special issue of the journal AIDS and Behavior, found:

-- Homeless or unstably housed people were two to six times more likely to "have recently used hard drugs, shared needles or exchanged sex" than similar low-income people who were stably housed.

-- Receipt of housing assistance enabled homeless people with substance use and mental health problems to achieve stability over time reducing risky behaviors.

-- Over a 12-year period, housing status and receipt of housing assistance consistently predicted entry and retention in HIV medical care, regardless of demographics, drug use, health and mental health status, or receipt of other services.