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August 2007
 Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health & Homelessness
The study provides a general overview of the sources
and scope of homelessness in the nation, the relationship between mental
health and homelessness, and the public policies that affect both mental
health and homelessness. The study also reviewed statistics concerning
the homeless populations of Canada.
The review found that an average of nearly 10,000 Canadians are homeless,
Aboriginals being the most represented among them. They found that
homelessness can lead to compromised mental health and that mental
illness can lead to homelessness.
Nearly 35% of homeless individuals
emergency department visits in Canada (mostly in Ontario) were related to
mental health or behavioral disorders. It also noted that existing
programs in Canada are only capable of helping a small number of the
homeless community. While acknowledging that there is still more
information that needs to be discovered, the Canadian Institute for
Health Information advocated for the use of
both government policies and programs and community initiatives to better
address these failings.
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OPEN MINDS