09/26/2026
True or False: Homelessness and Untreated Brain Disorders Are Often Connected.
True—but the connection is complicated.
Homelessness has many causes. People can lose housing because of poverty, unemployment, domestic or sexual violence, family breakdown, substance use, medical problems, lack of affordable housing, or other circumstances. We should never assume that someone is homeless because they have a serious brain disorder.
But for some people, untreated serious brain disorders can play an important role.
Imagine experiencing severe paranoia and believing your family is trying to harm you. Imagine hearing voices telling you to leave your apartment. Imagine being unable to maintain employment because untreated psychosis has made everyday functioning extremely difficult. Or imagine having anosognosia and genuinely being unable to recognize that you are ill and need treatment.
A person can gradually lose relationships, employment, financial stability, and eventually housing.
Once someone becomes homeless, getting treatment can become even harder. How do you keep appointments without reliable transportation? Store medication without stable housing? Maintain a treatment routine while worrying about where you will sleep tonight?
This can become a devastating cycle:
Untreated illness → loss of stability → homelessness → greater difficulty accessing treatment → worsening illness.
Not everyone experiencing homelessness has a serious brain disorder, and most people with serious brain disorders are not homeless. But when the two intersect, simply providing temporary shelter may not address everything the person needs.
Housing matters.
Treatment matters.
Community support matters.
We need all three.
What do you think our communities could do better to help people experiencing both serious brain disorders and homelessness?
Share your thoughts respectfully in the comments.
Serious no fault brain disorders are not a choice.
Share to spread awareness.
Presented by the Brett M. Staples Brain Disorder Awareness Coalition
🌐 brettstaples.org
📧 [email protected]