A study published in the Lancet Public Health journal shows that about half of all homeless people in the study have traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The study have been done in six high-income countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US. Whether it's the TBI that's causing the homelessness, or if homelessness makes it more likely for a person to suffer TBI, is unanswered. Half of all homeless people may have had traumatic brain injury
The article above is so sad, maddening and so true. So many of those homeless ones are sleeping on park benches; over subway grates for warmth; under cardboard boxes for blankets; in line for a hot meal, a shower, and a warm bed offered by various organizations, etc. Part of this problem was/is due to states and the federal gov't. not choosing or not able to fund public mental health facilities for those who cannot pay. Some have no idea how to get to those places who might be able to help. And how many of these people are veterans? Certainly some of these folks chose to "drop out" and hit the road, some were kicked out of their homes, and they could not find or could not hold a job; some had no family or the family was unable or unwilling to help the one who deserted that family; some of these people just made a mistake, went to prison, and were released with just a few dollars and nowhere to go and/or no one to be there when they were released on the sidewalk beside the prison. The streets are rough and the roads and sidewalks are unforgiving to someone who falls. Some have head injuries resulting from sports in high school or college, vehicle accidents, disease, etc. Drugs, alcohol, injury, violence can have a lot to do with these injuries as well.
