Association of substance use characteristics and future homelessness among emergency department patients with drug use or unhealthy alcohol use: Results from a linked data longitudinal cohort analysis.

Homelessness and substance use are intricately related, and both are prevalent among emergency department (ED) patients. This study examined the longitudinal association of substance use characteristics with future homeless shelter entry among ED patients with any drug use or unhealthy alcohol use. We present results from a longitudinal cohort study of public hospital ED patients who screened positive for drug use or unhealthy alcohol use and who were not homeless at their baseline (index) ED visit.