130% increase in number of people hospitalised who were experiencing homelessnes

Increase since 2017 

Notes:
(i) Homelessness was not necessarily the reason for the admission.
(ii) People hospitalised multiple times (transfers, readmissions, multiple incidents) are counted each time.
(iii) Data from 2021/22 onwards is provisional, and subject to change. 

Homelessness has considerable negative impacts on health outcomes.   

While homelessness may not necessarily be the direct root cause for hospital admission, there appears to be a consistent year-on-year rise in hospitalisations among people recorded as experiencing homelessness. This trend may warrant further attention, particularly in understanding its implications for both health outcomes and system demand.

There is also an observable increase between the 2021/2022 period and 2024, which may suggest growing pressure on the health system alongside rising levels of homelessness.

Hospital care is resource-intensive, and extended stays can place significant cost pressure on the health system. For this reason, it may be useful to consider the potential longer-term value of investing in housing solutions, alongside existing health responses, for people experiencing homelessness-related health needs.

Data source: OIA data from Health NZ Te Whatu Ora, Number of publicly funded hospital discharges with any diagnosis of homelessness (ICD-10-AM-VIII code Z59.0) since 2017