User:Trude1aa/sandbox

Women and families represent the fastest growing groups of the homeless population in the United States. Approximately 34% of the homeless population are families with children. Among homeless families, 90 percent are female-headed. Most homeless families in the United States are led by a young single mother without familial support and material resources.

Some of the major factors of homelessness among American women include domestic violence, of which women are the overwhelming victims, poverty, lack of access to healthcare and family planning, and the role of women as the primary caregivers of children. These factors contribute to the income and housing implications and inequalities which ensue, divorce, decline of the welfare state, and the lack of affordable housing. Additionally, the poor mental and hygienic health of women is both a precursor and consequence of homelessness among the female population that should be addressed.

With limited access to health care, homeless women are at an increasing risk of poor health outcomes. Homeless women are especially less likely to benefit from routine medical assistance, health insurance, cancer screenings, adequate prenatal care, appropriate ambulatory care, and specialty care. Additionally, homeless women have a higher death rate than the general population in the United States. Research conducted from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s show that health conditions such as hypertension, arthritis, mental illness, substance abuse, victimization, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) like tuberculosis and HIV are most common in the homeless population.

Another problem to address within the population of homeless women is lack of access to feminine hygiene products. Seemingly, this problem may seem minuscule to most women, but when an individual who menstruates is homeless there are lots of factors to consider when gaining access to tampons and pads or even hygienic changing spaces. Homeless women are degraded every month becasue they are not afforded the basic rights to menstruation privacy as other women are. To be able to have a healthy period, women must have access to clean changing areas, new clothing if needed, alternating tampons and pads, as well as the comfort of privacy. If women do not have all of these necessary protections, health problems can arise such as toxic shock syndrome, infection, and simply basic comfort. In addition to health and basic comfort issues that come along with being homeless and menstruation, the problem of even affording feminine hygiene products is huge. This is not simply a problem for homeless women, but a problem for low income women as well. When having to decide between wether or not eat or buy a tampon or pad, the choice is clear that homeless women are not afford the basic human rights or dignity and comfort when having to face menstruation once a month.