Basic Demographic Characteristics
Basic demographic characteristics for currently and formerly homeless clients and other service users are presented in table 3.1. Sex Men and women figure very differently in the three subpopulations of clients (figure 3.1). Men comprise 68 percent of currently homeless clients compared with 54 percent of formerly homeless clients. Among other service users 39 percent are men and 61 percent are women. Only the sex distribution of formerly homeless clients resembles that of the U.S. adult population, which was 48 percent male and 52 percent female in 1996 (Bureau of the Census 1997, table 14).
There are no significant racial differences between currently and formerly homeless clients. Equivalent proportions are white non-Hispanic (41 and 46 percent), black non-Hispanic (40 and 41 percent), Hispanic (11 and 9 percent), Native American (8 and 2 percent) and other races (1 and 2 percent). Among other service users, 54 percent are white non-Hispanic, 32 percent are black non-Hispanic, 11 percent are Hispanic, and 1 percent each are Native American and other races. However, all groups are significantly less likely to be white non-Hispanics than the U.S. population as a whole (76 percent), and more likely to be black non-Hispanics (40, 41, and 32 percent versus 11 percent) (Bureau of the Census 1997a, table 23). Age Young clients (ages 17 to 24) make up a greater share of currently than formerly homeless clients (12 versus 4 percent) (figure 3.2). The age group of 25- to 34-year-olds is also more common among currently than formerly homeless clients (25 versus 17 percent). The opposite is true as age increases; 45- to 54-year-olds as well as those ages 55 and older are more numerous among formerly than currently homeless clients. Sixty-one percent of other service users are ages 45 and older, with 29 percent being ages 65 and older. Education No differences exist in the educational attainment of currently and formerly homeless clients. Thirty-four percent of each group are high school graduates or have a G.E.D., with 28 and 24 percent, respectively, having some education beyond high school. About half of other service users (49 percent) have not completed high school, 32 percent have high school diplomas, and 19 percent have some education beyond high school. All three groups are similar in their proportion of high school graduates compared with the U.S. adult population as a whole (at 34 percent). But all U.S. adults are significantly more likely than any group of NSHAPC clients to have some education beyond high school (48 percent) (Bureau of the Census 1997a, table 245). Marital and Household Status Similar proportions of currently and formerly homeless clients have never married (48 and 45 percent), divorced (24 and 25 percent), and separated (15 and 14 percent). In addition, equal proportions are married (9 percent in each group) and widowed (3 and 6 percent). Among other service users, 28 percent have never married, 22 percent are currently married, 25 percent are widowed (reflecting their high proportion of older women), 10 percent are separated, and 15 percent are divorced. Information about whether or not a client lives in a family was combined with information about the client's age and sex to describe as best as possible the client's household status. The results are reported in table 3.1. Among clients ages 17 to 24, about one-fourth of currently homeless clients (3 of 12 percent) and one-sixth of formerly homeless clients (1 of 6 percent) are women living in families. Currently homeless clients are more likely than formerly homeless clients to be single men ages 25 and older (61 versus 49 percent). Ten percent of other service users are ages 17 to 24, among whom 4 in 10 are women living in families. Sixteen percent of other service users are clients ages 25 and older living in families. Single clients ages 25 and older comprise 74 percent of other service users; 33 percent are men and 41 percent are women. Veteran Status The proportion of currently and formerly homeless clients who are veterans is similar (23 and 22 percent, respectively). Among other service users the proportion is 14 percent. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that in 1995, 13 percent of all American adults were veterans.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||