The impact of temporary housing on health engagement of children and young people - a case series

Many young people are diagnosed with long-term health conditions requiring additional medical care throughout their lives. Additionally, many young people are also faced with challenges brought about by living in temporary or unstable housing or accommodation. The current paper will explore three exemplar case studies to demonstrate the cross-sectionality of how living in temporary or unstable accommodation can impact upon the health engagement of young people with respect to concepts such as medication adherence and appointment attendance. Cases presented in this paper exemplify significant disruptions to young people’s medication adherence, health care engagement, hospital attendance and emotional wellbeing. Future research is warranted to investigate this link, especially given the current socio-economic climate in terms of the cost of living crisis.