Occupancy Levels of Shelter/Housing Programs
Shelter/housing programs generally report occupancy levels in the 70 percent range (table 4.1). Programs serving homeless families report 73 percent occupancy for most of the year. The slightly higher winter rate of 77 percent for these programs is statistically but probably not substantively significant. Programs serving single homeless men and/or women report occupancy levels of 67 to 69 percent in the spring, summer, and fall, and significantly higher occupancy in the winter (76 percent). The three reasons given most frequently for being less than full are decline in need, seasonal changes, and that the people seeking shelter do not meet program criteria/restrictions. Given that many programs appear in both columns of table 4.1 since they serve both families and single men and/or women, it is not surprising that their reasons for less-than-full occupancy levels are similar.
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