ABSTRACT
Although homelessness in urban areas has been examined extensively, little attention has been given to the problem of homelessness in rural areas. This article reports the findings from a 1990 statewide study of rural homelessness funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. During the six-month data collection period, 919 homeless adults were interviewed; 247 were heading family units, and 480 children were in these families. More than two-thirds of these families were headed by single parents. Implications of the findings for providing short-term emergency assistance and longer-term policy-making are presented.
Subject(s)
Ill-Housed Persons/statistics & numerical data , Public Policy , Rural Population/statistics & numerical data , Social Work/trends , Adolescent , Adult , Affective Symptoms/epidemiology , Affective Symptoms/psychology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Ill-Housed Persons/psychology , Humans , Incidence , Male , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/psychology , Middle Aged , Minority Groups/psychology , Minority Groups/statistics & numerical data , Single Parent/psychology , Single Parent/statistics & numerical data , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
A follow-up study that tracked a sample of 133 people released from a state mental hospital showed that 35 percent became homeless within three months, supporting the theory that deinstitutionalization contributes to homelessness. An in-depth, qualitative tracking procedure provides data to describe key characteristics of the homeless person and the process by which people become homeless. These data point to solutions for improved care of severely mentally disabled people for whom the aftercare system has failed.
