Recent reports clearly document that people who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless have significantly poorer health and higher rates of chronic disease compared to the general population. The Street Health Report 2007, a comprehensive health survey among homeless individuals in Toronto, provided an update to the 1992 Street Health Report. Both reports outlined a number of significant health challenges faced by homeless individuals in Toronto, directly related to their living conditions and a general lack of resources, support, and access to adequate health care.

Sick and Tired: The Compromised Health of Social Assistance Recipients and the Working Poor in Ontario (2009) presents that it is not only street homeless people who suffer poor health. Social assistance recipients also have “higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, arthritis and rheumatism, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and many other conditions” than those in the general Ontario population.

Despite the growing number of reports illustrating the significant health impact of homelessness and poverty nationally, provincially, and urban centres like Toronto, much less data exists regarding the health of homeless people in suburban and rural areas, such as York Region. The ability to maintain good health is a recognized challenge in York Region, especially relating to individuals’ ability to physically access determinants of health and health care resources. However, the specific impact on health of homeless and at-risk individuals in York Region has not been quantifiably measured in previous reports. This pilot study, based on Toronto’s Street Health Survey, included a basic health assessment of homeless and at-risk individuals in York Region.