Article
Characteristics and Likelihood of Ongoing Homelessness among Unsheltered Veterans
Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
(2016)
Abstract
Introduction. Unsheltered homelessness is an important phenomenon yet difficult
to study due to lack of data. The Veterans Health Administration administers a universal
homelessness screener, which identifies housing status for Veterans screening positive for
homelessness. Methods. This study compared unsheltered and sheltered Veterans, assessed
differences in rates of ongoing homelessness, and estimated a mixed- effect logistic regression
model to examine the relationship between housing status and ongoing homelessness.
Results. Eleven percent of Veterans who screened positive for homelessness were unsheltered;
40% of those who rescreened were homeless six months later, compared with less
than 20% of sheltered Veterans. Unsheltered Veterans were 2.7 times as likely to experience
ongoing homelessness. Discussion. Unsheltered Veterans differ from their sheltered counterparts—
they are older, more likely to be male, less likely to have income—and may be
good candidates for an intensive housing intervention. Future research will assess clinical
characteristics and services utilization among this population.
Keywords
- homelessness,
- veterans,
- unsheltered
Disciplines
Publication Date
May, 2016
Citation Information
Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, Thomas Byrne, Daniel Treglia and Dennis P Culhane. "Characteristics and Likelihood of Ongoing Homelessness among Unsheltered Veterans" Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved Vol. 27 Iss. 2 (2016) p. 911 - 922 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/dennis_culhane/202/