Inuit housing and homelessness: results from the International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey 2007-2008

• Main Authors: Katherine Minich, Helga Saudny, Crystal Lennie, Michele Wood, Laakkuluk Williamson-Bathory, Zhirong Cao, Grace M Egeland
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Nunavut; International Polar Year; inuit
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1048.165

ABSTRACT Objectives. Evaluate housing characteristics across Inuit regions in Results. A total of 2,796 Inuit households were approached, of which 68% participated (n=1,901 households). In ISR and Nunavut, approximately 20% of homes provided shelter to the homeless compared to 12% in Nunatsiavut (p≤0.05). The prevalence of public housing and household crowding also varied by region, with Nunavut having a statistically significantly higher prevalence of crowding (30%) than Nunatsiavut (12%) and ISR (12%). Household crowding was more prevalent among homes with children. Overall, 40% of homes were in need of major repairs and problems with mould were reported in 20% of households. Conclusions. Adequate shelter is a basic human need and an essential foundation for thriving population health. The results indicate that improvements in housing indicators are needed. Of utmost concern is the high prevalence of overcrowding in Inuit homes with children, which poses potential consequences for children's health and well-being. Further, the high percentage of homes providing shelter to the homeless suggests that hidden homelessness needs to be addressed by further research and program implementation. (Int J Circumpolar Health 2011; 70(5):520-531)