Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve

Homelessness:
Programs and the People
They Serve

Contents

Figures and Tables
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
HIGHLIGHTS

1	Introduction and Design Overview

CHAPTER 1 HIGHLIGHTS

Introduction
Overview of the Study Design

Data Collection Approaches

Basic Analytic Categories

Defining Homelessness Status
Specifying Time Frames
Defining Family and Single Status
Defining Alcohol/Drug/Mental Health (ADM) Status
Describing Urban/Rural Location

Statistical Significance of Findings

Confidence Intervals
Statistical Significance of Comparisons
Risk of False Positives

Limitations of NSHAPC Findings

The Study Is Descriptive
The People in the Study Come from Homeless Assistance Programs
NSHAPC Was Designed to Collect Data on Clients Who Use Homeless Assistance Services
All Client Information Comes from the Clients Themselves
What the Study Does Not Do

The Structure of This Report

Additional Information May Be Found in the Technical Report

2	An Overview of Homeless Clients

CHAPTER 2 HIGHLIGHTS

Introduction
Demographic Characteristics of Homeless Clients

Sex
Race/Ethnicity
Age
Marital Status
Education
Veteran Status

The Children of Homeless Clients
Service Needs, Stresses, and Vulnerabilities

Service Needs as Seen by Clients
Food Consumption and Hunger
Victimization while Homeless
Physical Health Status and Insurance
Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Problems
History of Incarceration
Adverse Childhood Experiences

Where Homeless Clients Were Living

Characteristics of Clients Using Different Housing and Other Services

Income, Employment, and Other Income Sources

Income
Paid Employment
Receipt of Government Benefits

History of Homelessness

Clients Who Change Locations after Becoming Homeless

Comparisons of Clients from Central Cities, Suburbs, and Rural Areas
Comparisons with 1987 Urban Institute Findings

3	Comparing Currently with Formerly Homeless Clients and Other Service Users

CHAPTER 3 HIGHLIGHTS

Introduction
Basic Demographic Characteristics

Sex
Race/Ethnicity
Age
Education
Marital and Household Status
Veteran Status

Service Needs, Stresses, and Vulnerabilities

Service Needs as Seen by Clients
Food Consumption and Hunger
Physical Health Status and Insurance
Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Problems
Incarceration
Adverse Childhood Experiences

Income Levels, Sources, and Employment
History of Homelessness
Use of Homeless Assistance Programs

Lifetime Service Use

Urban/Rural Location

4	Homeless Assistance Programs

CHAPTER 4 HIGHLIGHTS

Introduction
Service Locations and Program Types
Service Level and Program Size

Total Number of Expected Service Contacts
Variability in Program Size

Operating Agencies
Funding Sources
Population Focus

Household Type
Special Population or Special Need

Occupancy Levels of Shelter/Housing Programs
Location of Homeless Assistance Programs
Availability of Services within NSHAPC's 76 Sampling Areas

Distribution of Program Contacts within Sampling Areas
Distribution of Services within Sampling Areas by Program Type
Distribution within Sampling Areas of Contacts with Different Types of Shelter/Housing Programs

5	Postscript

POSTSCRIPT
APPENDIX A: NSHAPC's PRIMARY SAMPLING AREAS
A1: NSHAPC's Primary Sampling Areas Arrayed Alphabetically within Types
A2: Primary Sampling Areas Sorted by Population Size, in Descending Order
APPENDIX B: NSHAPC PROGRAM DEFINITIONS
REFERENCES
NSHAPC interview protocol for individual respondents