People who work in health care know firsthand that housing is health. Those experiencing homelessness have higher rates of emergency room visits, and that rate only seems to be increasing, according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is a vulnerable population of individuals who have high rates of chronic illness, mental health disorders, substance use disorders, injuries, infections, respiratory diseases and various others. In our country, it is difficult to parse out if an illness caused homelessness, if homelessness caused the illness, or if homelessness made a controllable illness deadly.

When I care for those who are unhoused in the hospital, I am deeply moved, disturbed and saddened by the limitations of my work. I cannot dole out medications as I

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