Testing a typology of family homelessness based on patterns of public shelter utilization in four U.S. jurisdictions: Implications for policy and program planning

Abstract

This study tests a typology of family homelessness based on patterns of public shelter utilization and examines whether family characteristics are associated with those patterns. The results indicate that a substantial majority of homeless families stay in public shelters for relatively brief periods, exit, and do not return. Approximately 20 percent stay for long periods. A small but noteworthy proportion cycles in and out of shelters repeatedly. In general, families with long stays are no more likely than families with short stays to have intensive behavioral health treatment histories, to be disabled, or to be unemployed. Families with repeat stays have the highest rates of intensive behavioral health treatment, placement of children in foster care, disability, and unemployment. The results suggest that policy and program factors, rather than family characteristics, are responsible for long shelter stays. An alternative conceptual framework for providing emergency assistance to homeless families is discussed. This study tests a typology of family homelessness based on patterns of public shelter utilization and examines whether family characteristics are associated with those patterns. The results indicate that a substantial majority of homeless families stay in public shelters for relatively brief periods, exit, and do not return. Approximately 20 percent stay for long periods. A small but noteworthy proportion cycles in and out of shelters repeatedly. In general, families with long stays are no more likely than families with short stays to have intensive behavioral health treatment histories, to be disabled, or to be unemployed. Families with repeat stays have the highest rates of intensive behavioral health treatment, placement of children in foster care, disability, and unemployment.The results suggest that policy and program factors, rather than family characteristics, are responsible for long shelter stays. An alternative conceptual framework for providing emergency assistance to homeless families is discussed. Keywords IntroductionResearch on typologies of homelessness among unaccompanied or single adults has identified distinct patterns of shelter utilization that are associated with theoretically consistent population characteristics (Kuhn and Culhane 1998). The identification of a pattern of chronic homelessness, in particular, has shown that a small subset (10 percent) of single adults who become homeless stay in shelters over extended periods. Nearly all of them have some disability or significant behavioral health problem that limits their ability to make a stable exit from homelessness without subsidized housing and social supports. Another group (10 percent) uses shelters episodically over several years, and half of that group also has potentially disabling behavioral health problems. Alternatively, most adults (80 percent) experience short-term, temporary homelessness and would appear to be candidates for prevention or rapid relocation programs. Most of them make sustained and independ...

The Impact of Shelter Use and Housing Placement on Mortality Hazard for Unaccompanied Adults and Adults in Family Households Entering New York City Shelters: 1990–2002

“…However, for adults with long-term stay patterns, other research has found little difference in outcomes between such families and their shorter staying counterparts. 46,54 This pattern is not shown here, and the differences in mortality hazard related to shelter stay patterns among families, albeit modest, are less explainable. This highlights a major limitation of this study in the unavailability of more data on personal characteristics-such as health and economic circumstances-which are likely to mitigate the associations between shelter stay patterns and mortality hazard.…”

“…Total number of days and stays spent in DHS shelters in the 3-year period following initial shelter entry were the criteria for a cluster analysis, which was applied to data in a manner consistent with procedures previously used on DHS shelter data. 46,47 As a result, each record in this study was assigned to one of three distinct groups by virtue of shelter use patterns, with each of these groups representing different homeless trajectories. These groups included transitional users, where persons used shelter for one or two stays and for a limited number of days; long-term users, where persons used shelter for a limited number of extended stays; and episodic users, where persons tallied multiple shelter stays of relatively brief durations.…”

“…Most people who are homeless make lasting exits from homelessness after only a relatively short time, so studies that follow a homeless population for an extended risk period will quickly reach a point where most in the study group are no longer homeless. 27,28 When this heterogeneity gets overlooked, homelessness inadvertently becomes an enduring "trait" associated with study group members, rather than a time-limited "state" of extreme poverty. 29,30 The one study which differentiates mortality hazard between time spent in shelters and time outside of shelters found that homelessness was associated with a substantially increased mortality hazard.…”

Exiting Shelter: An Epidemiological Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators for Families

“…These studies note that both the diverse characteristics of the homeless population and varying patterns of homelessness can allow for more targeted programs and policies (Sosin 2003). Other research documents the association of chronic, individual homelessness with some form of disability or other behavioral health barrier that limits successful exit from homelessness and entry into housing stability (Culhane et al 2007). Most homeless adults, however, maintain a stable exit after a short period of homelessness (Culhane et al 2007).…”

“…Other research documents the association of chronic, individual homelessness with some form of disability or other behavioral health barrier that limits successful exit from homelessness and entry into housing stability (Culhane et al 2007). Most homeless adults, however, maintain a stable exit after a short period of homelessness (Culhane et al 2007). The literature on adult homelessness points to the limitations of stratification and individual-level explanations.…”