Housing



Section Summary 

This section discusses the relationship between housing insecurity and mental health. Topics include: 

  • What is houselessness?
  • How does housing impact our mental health?
  • What are humans' hierarchy of needs, and how does housing fit into this?
  • Reducing houselessness in Clackamas County 

What is Houselessness?

Houselessness, housing instability and mental health are complex issues that are closely intertwined. Houselessness/homelessness is often defined as lacking a fixed, stable, functional, safe, place to sleep. Housing instability can refer to a sense of uncertainty about one’s ability to stay in their home due to financial struggles, lack of a sense of safety due to violence and/or abuse, overcrowding, and more. 

It’s also important to recognize that houselessness looks different for everyone, and that individuals who have ever navigated these challenges should feel empowered to determine their own definitions based on their lived experience.

For youth, houselessness often presents differently than older adults, and can be more challenging to identify due to stigma, adultism, and systems that may not be accessible or accommodating to young people. For example, different organizations, including federal agencies define homelessness and eligibility for housing services differently. 

How are Houselessness and Mental Health Related?

In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow came up with a theory to help explain what motivates people. He said that before someone can feel things like love, confidence, or reach their full potential, their basic needs—like air, food, water, a safe place to live, and feeling secure—need to be met first. This idea is usually shown as a pyramid and called "Maslow's hierarchy of needs", with basic needs at the bottom and personal growth at the top. Sometimes it’s shown as a circle too, to remind us that people’s needs aren’t always so simple or in a perfect order.




Getting support through things like counseling, talking to a psychiatrist, or connecting with people who’ve been through similar things can really help when someone is dealing with mental health struggles. But if a person doesn’t have a safe and steady place to sleep, it can be really hard to focus on their goals or mental health. That’s because their brain is stuck in “survival mode,” just trying to get through each day.

On the flip side, even when someone has a safe place to live, mental health struggles can still make life tough—especially if they don't get the support they need. This can make it harder to keep up with things like school, work, or money, and sometimes it can even lead to losing their home.

 


Reducing Houselessness in Clackamas County

Clackamas County, and many other communities working towards ending houselessness, have adopted the Housing First model. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness...

This approach is guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use issues.

Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington County each utilize a “coordinated entry” system to connect individuals of all ages experiencing houselessness to housing services and supports. Clackamas County’s coordinated entry system is called Coordinated Housing Access (CHA). To learn more about Clackamas County CHA, visit this link.


In 2019, Clackamas County developed a Coordinated Community Plan to End Youth Homelessness (CCP), which is currently being utilized to inform youth housing services in our community. The CCP was developed in partnership with youth with lived experience of houselessness and local youth service providers. The CCP outlines our community’s commitment to addressing the unique needs of youth from the following “priority populations” which national data demonstrates are especially vulnerable to experiences of houselessness and housing instability.

  • LGBTQIA+ Youth
  • Youth of Color
  • Minors
  • Pregnant & Parenting Youth
  • Justice-Involved Youth
  • Youth Experiencing Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges
  • Youth Involved in Foster Care
  • Survivors of Trafficking and Exploitation

A few of the strategies identified and being implemented to support youth experiencing houselessness and mental health/substance use challenges include:

  • Partnership with youth with lived experience
  • Intentional collaboration with the behavioral health system, recovery programs, youth peer support agencies, drop-in centers, and crisis lines.
  • Wraparound services
  • Programs that connect youth to basic needs resources