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Alcohol use is eight times more likely to be consumed by homeless men and women compared to those who are not. The use of alcohol among this population contributes to increased risks of early death and health problems. In studies that have been conducted it has shown that about 25% of homeless persons condone the use and abuse of alcohol. The availability of treatment for these illnesses to homeless is less than those above the poverty line due to an increase in accessibility to health care.

Indeed, people in the low-income brackets (2.8%) spend a higher percentage of their household income on games of chance than people in higher income brackets (0.5%). This is important given that the risk of gambling related harm increases significantly when more than 1% of gross family income is spent on gambling activities. The additional risk of gambling for those in a lower income bracket warrants further attention with the expansion of government-operated gambling throughout Canada, especially since increased rates of problem gambling prevalence are linked to enhanced accessibility and availability. Problem gambling can be defined as difficulties in limiting money and/or time spent on the activity, which leads to problems for the gambler and others According to Hahmann and Matheson (n.d.), there are to life event that can lead to homelessness; significant job loss and problem gambling.

In America drug use is highly correlated with those who live in poverty because of the financial deficit that occurs because of an addiction."Data from 2003 estimates 26% of the homeless population were drug abusers." Also, "A survey from 2007 notes that 23% of unemployed persons had used cocaine at least once."[8]

Valdez, A., Kaplan, C. D., & Curtis, R. L. (2007). Aggressive crime, alcohol and drug use, and concentrated poverty in 24 U.S. urban areas. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 33(4), 595-603.

Cerdá, M., Diez-Roux, A. V., Tchetgen, E. T., Gordon-Larsen, P., & Kiefe, C. (2010). The relationship between neighborhood poverty and alcohol use: estimation by marginal structural models. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), 21(4), 482-9.

Hahmann, T. E., & Matheson, F. L. (n.d.). Problem Gambling and Poverty. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://www.greo.ca/Modules/EvidenceCentre/files/Hahmann_and_Matheson_(2017)_Problem_gambling_and_poverty.pdf