Met and unmet needs of homeless individuals at different stages of housing reintegration: A mixed-method investigation

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and compare major areas of met and unmet needs reported by 455 homeless or recently housed individuals recruited from emergency shelters, temporary housing, and permanent housing in Quebec (Canada). Mixed methods, guided by the Maslow framework, were used. Basic needs were the strongest needs category identified, followed by health and social services (an emergent category), and safety; very few participants expressed needs in the higher-order categories of love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. The only significant differences between the three housing groups occurred in basic needs met, which favored permanent housing residents. Safety was the only category where individuals reported more unmet than met needs. The study results suggested that increased overall access to and continuity of care with family physicians, MD or SUD clinicians and community organizations for social integration should be provided to help better these individuals. Case management, stigma prevention, supported employment programs, peer support and day centers should particularly be more widely implemented as interventions that may promote a higher incidence of met needs in specific needs categories.

Examining Recovery Status Trends over 7-Years for Men and Women Clients of a Substance Use Disorder Recovery Housing Program

“…Both SUDs and unmet treatment needs are higher among individuals who are homeless and have criminal justice involvement compared to the general population (Bronson et al, 2020; Fearn et al, 2016; Fleury et al, 2021; Ibabe et al, 2014; Pew Charitable Trusts, 2018; Stringfellow et al, 2016). The Recovery Kentucky programs were designed to address the unique challenges for these vulnerable individuals.…”

“…Further, individuals on probation/parole or those released from incarceration have significant unmet treatment needs and are at risk of (re)incarceration (Fearn et al, 2016; Pew Charitable Trusts, 2018) particularly if these individuals have economic vulnerabilities such as homelessness and unemployment (Fearn et al, 2016). At the same time, there is a higher risk of SUDs among those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless (Fleury et al, 2021; Ibabe, Stein, Nyamathi, & Bentler, 2014; Stringfellow et al, 2016). A lack of safe and stable housing can increase the risk of substance use as well as incarceration, while incarceration can increase the risk of homelessness (Chavira & Jason, 2017; Cusack & Montgomery, 2017; Polcin, 2016).…”

Hypertension and Diabetes Status by Patterns of Stress in Older Adults From the US Health and Retirement Study: A Latent Class Analysis

“…However, many of the need‐based models used in previous studies focused on physiological stress, with fewer studies examining whether unmet needs were associated with individual, social, and self‐concept stressors. 33 , 34 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a widely cited framework of human behavior that could be used to capture stressors, including physiological needs (eg, food, shelter, and rest), safety needs (eg, physical and psychological security), social belonging needs (eg, interpersonal relationships), esteem needs (eg, social status and respect), and self‐fulfillment needs (eg, fulfilling one’s purpose in life).…”

Moderating Effect of Help-Seeking in the Relationship between Religiosity and Dispositional Gratitude among Polish Homeless Adults: A Brief Report

“…There is not a universally recognized and consistent definition of homelessness [12][13][14]. In a narrow sense, a homeless person is regarded as "someone living on the streets without shelter" ( [15], pp.…”