Homeless women living in Toronto are frequently physically or sexually assaulted and have poor access to medical care, indicates a report released Monday.

The Street Health Report, released by Street Health, a non-profit community-based agency providing physical and mental health programs to homeless people, found that 37 per cent of homeless women surveyed had been physically assaulted in the past year.

Twenty-one per cent had been sexually assaulted or raped one or more times in the same period.

"We were staggered to learn that homeless women are 10 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than homeless men, and are more likely to have a serious physical health condition," said Kate Mason, study co-ordinator at Street Health.

"One in five women had been sexually assaulted in the past year and almost all — 84% — had at least one serious physical health condition."

Fifty-eight per cent reported they experienced high levels of stress on a daily basis, with 68 per cent reporting serious depression and 64 per cent suffering from serious anxiety or tension.

"The stress reported by women can compromise the immune system over long periods of time and makes them more susceptible to a range of other health conditions," reads the report. "High rates of depression, anxiety and suicide attempts are a reflection of the extremely harsh reality of homeless women's lives and the lack of hope that many homeless women experience."

High rate of health problems

The homeless women were also vulnerable to numerous health conditions, reporting much higher rates of chronic and acute illnesses than women in the general Canadian population.

Eighty-four per cent reported having at least one serious physical health condition:

• Liver disease, 26 per cent.
• Asthma, 33 per cent.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 29 per cent.
• Heart disease, 20 per cent.
• Diabetes, 16 per cent.

In addition, many faced health hazards associated with living on the streets and in shelters.

Forty-three per cent reported foot problems, 25 per cent said they had been bitten by bed bugs and 24 per cent said they had had pneumonia.

But access to health care is patchy. Twenty-nine per cent of women reported having no regular source of health care, and were forced to visit hospital emergency departments.

The report suggests that the majority of women live in extreme poverty — 42 per cent reported they earned less than $2,400 per year. Ten per cent were employed, two per cent worked full time and five per cent worked part time.

The study, conducted in winter 2006/2007, tracked a random sample of 368 homeless adults, and polled them on their health and access to health at 26 shelters and programs in downtown Toronto.

Other profile statistics included:

• 97 of the respondents were women, with average age of 42, ranging from 19 to 66.
• The women had been homeless an average of three years.
• 44 per cent completed high school, and 18 per cent completed college or university degree.

with files from the Canadian Press