Academic literature on the topic 'Female homelessne'

Abstract: The current study is an investigation of homelessness from the viewpoint of the homeless, to determine the extent homeless individuals can provide information about causes of their homelessness, resources they need to leave the sheltered environment and attitudes about their current living arrangements. The 51 male and 52 female homeless participants in this study provided information about causes, resources needed and attitudes. Participants described multiple causes for their homelessness; males and females indicated differing causes. A wide range of resources were listed by the homeless individuals as needed to reduce their reliance on the sheltered environment, with some resources continuing beyond the attainment of a house and a job; males and females also indicated different needs. Findings in this study indicate that homeless individuals can provide relevant information and partner with social service professionals to create programs to meet individual needs and reduce reliance on sheltered environments.Keywords: homeless; sheltered environments; gender differences

There is a growing body of research examining the experiences of homeless older adults in Canada. Fourteen participants (11 males & 3 females) ages 46 to 57, recruited from the At Home / Chez Soi project in Winnipeg, completed individual semistructured interviews exploring their experiences of homelessness. Most participants reported lifelong intermittent homelessness. We identified 5 main themes that captured the experience of homelessness for older adults: pathways to homelessness; controlled lives; centrality of social relationships; shame and desire for self-reliance; and the challenge of disentanglement from the cycle of homelessness. This study provides insight into the experiences of homeless older adults in Canada. Findings suggest a need for policies and programs to meet the unique needs of homeless older adults.

Homelessness is a complex problem, resulting from a combination of housing and social exclusion processes. This paper discusses the major factors contributing to homelessness in the post soviet Georgia. Though there is no consensus on understanding conceptual typology, the causes and complexity of homelessness, there are currently three categories of homeless people identified as “homeless” in Georgia. Among them so called “Roofless” people are the most vulnerable groups who need special attention while there is no national strategy on homelessness in place. Mixed methods were used to study homeless people living in a special shelter in Tbilisi. In total, 70 homeless (Mean Age =48, Male – 64%, Female – 36%) were interviewed by semi-structural questionnaire.The results showed that a structural factor - unemployment (90%) is the major cause of homelessness. The other factors include: lack of support system (69%), relationship problems or family breakdown (66%), health problems (64%), mental problems (44%), internal migration (39%), leaving prison (26%), substance abuse (16%). The profile of homeless persons in Georgia is a middle-aged single man; however, the numbers of homeless women, elderly and younger people as well as families with children are growing.Furthermore the paper suggests that understanding the local contexts of poverty can assist government for building the proper national strategy on homelessness and facilitate social inclusion of the most disadvantaged groups of people.

Data from a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) were used to compare homeless people who report caring for animals with homeless people who do not report caring for animals, based on demographic variables and stated reasons for homelessness. Among homeless clients ( N = 4,100; M age = 39 yr., SD = 13.2), 5.5% reported animal caretaking; demographic differences between caretaking and not caretaking homeless clients and life factors related to homelessness were most often associated with animal caretaking. 41% of participants ( n = 1,664) were female, and 59% ( n = 2,436) were male. Findings suggest that first-time homeless, Euro-American women who were homeless due to domestic violence were the most likely to say they were caring for animals. The use of such an information system could aid in identifying this subpopulation and coordinating services for animal care.

Abstract Background Homelessness is an increasing societal problem in high-income countries and often linked to psychiatric disorders. However, a study compiling the existing literature is lacking. The aim was to identify individual-level predictors for becoming homeless and exiting homelessness in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (up to January 2018). Becoming homeless and exiting homelessness were the outcomes. Observational studies with comparison groups from high-income countries were included. The Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale was used for bias assessment. Random effects models were used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs). In all, 116 studies of predictors for becoming homeless and 18 for exiting homelessness were included. Results Psychiatric problems, especially drug use problems (OR 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5–5.1) and suicide attempts (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.1–6.3) were associated with increased risk of homelessness. However, the heterogeneity was substantial in most analyses (I2>90%), and the estimates should be interpreted cautiously. Adverse life-events, including childhood abuse and foster care experiences, and past incarceration were also important predictors of homelessness. Psychotic problems (95% CI 0.4, 0.2–0.8; I2=0) and drug use problems (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6–0.9; I=0) reduced the chances for exiting homelessness. Female sex and having a partner increased the changes of exiting homelessness. Discussion Evidence for several psychiatric predictors for becoming homeless and exiting homelessness was identified. Additionally, socio-demographic factors, adverse life-events, and criminal behavior were important factors. There is a need for more focus on psychiatric vulnerabilities and early intervention to reduce the risk of homelessness.

Homelessness is a chronic problem worldwide, including in the United States. The country’s biggest homeless population occupies major cities like New York and Los Angeles. The fight against homelessness in L.A. has been going on for years, with the homeless population flooding places like Venice Beach, Echo Park, Hollywood, and its most famous homeless encampment, Skid Row. One of the groups constantly vulnerable to the threat of homelessness are women, and the intersection between women's homelessness and domestic violence remains to be a challenging subject. Enriching previous scholarship, this paper critically analyzes housing programs targeting female domestic violence survivors in Los Angeles. In order to get an in-depth examination, the focus is directed to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Housing Policy managed by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). The paper employs gender theory to examine the program’s shortcomings. Using Jeff Hearn’s conception of the ‘public men,’ this paper proposes that the program’s limitations stem from the prevailing patriarchy, which cultivates from home and extends to public policy through the domination of men. Furthermore, the policy is insufficient in combatting women's homelessness due to the absence of programs such as trauma centers, financial security & education program, and childcare unit that are vital to address the unique experience of domestic violence survivors. Thus, evaluation of the housing policy is immediately needed to overcome the problem of homelessness due to domestic violence.

Homelessness increases vulnerability to violence victimization; however, the precise factors associated with victimization and injury are not clearly understood. Thus, this study explores the prevalence of and characteristics associated with violence victimization among homeless individuals by surveying approximately 500 individuals experiencing homelessness in 5 cities across the United States. Our findings reveal that nearly one-half of our sample reported experiencing violence and that prolonged duration of homelessness (greater than 2 years) and being older increased the risk of experiencing a violent attack. In addition, increased length of homelessness and female gender predicted experiencing rape. Women were also significantly more likely to know one’s perpetrator and experience continued suffering after a violent attack. We conclude that certain subpopulations within the homeless population are at an increased risk for victimization and, subsequently, require added protective services; implications for health care and policy recommendations are also discussed.

The present study examines risk factors for running away and homelessness among a sample of more than 7,000 currently housed youth using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Structural equation modeling results revealed that those with greater levels of family instability and those who ran away at Wave 2 were significantly more likely to run away and/or become homeless 5 years later at Wave 3. Family instability also had a significant indirect effect on running away and/or being homeless at Wave 3 through greater levels of problem behaviors and running away at Wave 2. Running away at Wave 1 was indirectly associated with running away and/or becoming homeless at Wave 3 through family instability, problem behavior, and Wave 2 running.

Previous studies of childhood abuse levels among homeless women have typically focused either on single homeless women or female heads of families; almost none have focused specifically on homeless women with severe mental illness. This study explores rates of childhood physical and sexual abuse among 120 homeless women with severe mental illness. Correlates of experiencing childhood abuse are considered, including mental health outcomes and when women first become homeless. The prevalence of childhood abuse in this sample of women was substantially higher than among homeless women in general. The experience of childhood abuse was related to increased suicidality, and resulted in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder for some women. Women who had suffered abuse were also much more likely to become homeless during childhood and it is suggested that this is an important precursor to homelessness for many homeless women with chronic and severe mental illness.

Introduction: Despite the visibility of the homeless population, there is limited data on the information of this patient population. Point-in-time counts and survey data from selected samples (such as those admitted to emergency shelter) have primarily been used. This literature suggests that this hard-to-reach population has high rates of presentation at emergency departments (EDs), and as such, EDs often become their main point of contact for health and social services. Leveraging this fact and administrative data we construct a crude census of homeless persons within Ontario. We further examine demographic characteristics of patients experiencing homelessness, and compare this data to findings from previous literature. Methods: All routinely collected administrative health data from EDs located within Ontario, Canada from 2010-2017 were analyzed to examine patient characteristics. Individuals experiencing homelessness were identified by a marker that was adopted in 2009 replacing their recorded postal code with an XX designation. s. Aggregating by LHIN, date and week of year, we examine the overall number of patients experiencing homelessness and number by LHIN location and seasonality. Demographic outcomes examined include age and sex. Results: 640,897 visits to the ED over 7 years were made by 39,525 unique individuals experiencing homelessness. Number of ED visits has steadily increased over 10 years in all of Ontario, despite decline in shelter use for individuals. Presentations were concentrated in large urban centres like Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton. Fewer presentations occur in the spring and summer months and rise in the winter. Male patients presented older and in greater numbers than female patients. The modal female age of presentation is in the 20-24 age category. The modal male age of presentation is in the 25-29 age category. Older male patients were more likely to have multiple presentations. Conclusion: The utilization of administrative health data offers a novel, cost-effective method to measure demographic characteristics of people experiencing homelessness. Identifying characteristics of homeless patients through this method allows for a more complete understanding of the characteristics of a hard-to-reach population, which will allow policy makers to develop appropriate services for this sub-group. Furthermore, through analysis of trends of demographics over time, changes in the homeless population can be tracked in real-time to allow for coordination and implementation of services in a time-sensitive manner.