Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
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The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
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Author(s): Rosa Soloria, Norweeta Milburn, Ronald Andersen, Sharone Trifskin, Michael Rodriguez
Publication Date: 2006
The Expanded Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations was used to examine the predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with mental health service use in a homeless adolescent sample (N?=?688). Among all youth, 32% perceived a need for help with mental health problems and 15% met Brief-Symptom Inventory (BSI) criteria for emotional distress. The rate of mental health service use in our sample was 32%. One enabling factor, having a ca...
Author(s): Lisa Thrane, Dan Hoyt, Leslie Whitbeck, Kevin A. Yoder
Publication Date: 2006
PROBLEM: Various demographic and familial risk factors have been linked to runaway behavior. To date, there has not been a systematic investigation of the impact of size of community on runaway behavior. This study will compare runaways from smaller cities and rural areas to their urban counterparts. METHODS: A convenience sample of 602 adolescents was interviewed between 1995 and August of 1996 in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, USA. M...
Author(s): Rebecca Sanchez, Martha Waller, Jody Greene
Publication Date: 2006
Prevention and treatment programs for runaways have been hindered by an inadequate population profile. Using Add Health data to determine 12-month prevalence and demographic predictors of running away, we found that over 6% of youths reported running away. Running was predicted by biological gender, age, region, urbanicity, and family structure. (Authors)
Author(s): Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, Robert Rosenheck, Rani Desai
Publication Date: 2006
In recent years a number of reports have documented an increase in the number of homeless families in the US. Using a sample of 195 mothers who were veterans of the US armed forces we assessed the association of maternal homelessness and clinical status, with measures of children’s mental health, school enrollment and attendance. Although maternal homelessness had no significant association with children’s reported emotional problems it had a pro...
Author(s): Glenn Gamst, Adam Herdina, Elizabeth Mondragon, Frances Munguia, Ana Pleitez, Heather Stephens, Darlene Vo, Israel Cuellar
Publication Date: 2006
This study investigated the relationship of homeless status, ethnic identity, respondent ethnicity (African American, Latino, Native American, and Anglo), and Latino, Anglo, and Mexican American orientation on the functional impairment (Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale, BASIS-32; S. V. Eisen, 1996) of 355 homeless men and women who were interviewed in Pomona, California. Multivariate analyses of variance results indicated that respondent...
Author(s): David Morris, Jon Hirshon
Publication Date: 2006
This issue of the Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America focuses on the spectrum of public health issues that significantly impact the practice of emergency medicine and which are faced by practicing emergency physicians on daily basis. Topics include public health research in the emergency department; respiratory threats; emerging infectious diseases; emergency department overcrowding; end-of-life care; racial and ethnic disparities; issues...
Author(s): Morris Davis, J. Gordon
Publication Date: 2006
Abstract
This article provides an overview of the role of the emergency department (ED) in the care of homeless and disadvantaged populations. It suggests that organized emergency medicine can have a significant impact on total community health by maintaining a universal "safety net" for the delivery of integrated health and human services. The epidemiology of social deprivation among ED patients is examined, with a particular focus on homelessne...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, John Sylvestre, Tim D. Aubry, Lindsey George, John Trainor
Publication Date: 2007
This research examined two premises of supported housing: (a) that consumer choice/control over housing and support and the quality of housing are important contributors to the subjective quality of life and adaptation to community living of people with mental illness, and (b) that apartments provide mental health consumers with more choice/control over housing and support than group living arrangements. To test these two hypotheses, we collected...
Author(s): Christine Savage, Christopher Lindsell, Gordon Gillespie, Anita Dempsey, Roberta Lee, Adele Corbin
Publication Date: 2006
Up to 55% of the homeless population report health problems. They often use the emergency department (ED) to obtain care when the health needs are not urgent. Nurse-managed clinics have the potential to reduce nonurgent ED use and improve the health of the homeless. The purpose of this study was to establish baseline health data on homeless persons prior to attending a nurse-managed clinic. This study was a cross-sectional, retrospective health s...
Author(s): Elise Riley, Sheri Weiser, James Sorensen, Samantha Dilworth, Jennifer Cohen, Torsten Neilands
Publication Date: 2007
Homeless individuals experience high rates of morbidity and mortality, yet many homeless studies include small percentages of female participants. We therefore sought to determine correlates of homelessness separately for men and women in a sample of individuals visiting free food programs. Between August 2003 and April 2004, 324 individuals were recruited from San Francisco free food programs and interviewed regarding housing, sociodemographics,...
Author(s): M. Cusimano, M. Chipman, R. Glazier, C. Rinner, S. Marshall
Publication Date: 2007
Background: Geomatics describes the activities involved in acquiring and managing geographical data and producing geographical information for scientific, administrative and technical endeavors. As an emerging science, geomatics has a great potential to support public health. Geomatics provides a conceptual foundation for the development of geographic information systems (GIS), computerized tools that manage and display geographical data for anal...
Author(s): Steve Rice, E. McAllister, N. Dhurandhar
Publication Date: 2007
Fast food is routinely blamed for the obesity epidemic and consequentially excluded from professional dietary recommendations. However, several sections of society including senior citizens, low-income adult and children, minority and homeless children, or those pressed for time appear to rely on fast food as an important source of meals. Considering the dependence of these nutritionally vulnerable population groups on fast food, we examined the...
Author(s): John Song, Dianne Bartels, Edward Ratner, Lucy Alderton, Brenda Hudson, Jasjit Ahluwalia
Publication Date: 2007
Background: There is little understanding about the experiences and preferences at the end of life (EOL) for people from unique cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Homeless individuals are extreme examples of these overlooked populations; they have the greatest risk of death, encounter barriers to health care, and lack the resources and relationships assumed necessary for appropriate EOL care. Exploring their desires and concerns will provide...
Author(s): Linda F. Weinreb, Joanne Nicholson, Valerie Williams, Fran Anthes
Publication Date: 2007
This article describes an innovative trauma-informed care management model in which mental health, substance abuse, and support services are integrated for homeless families in primary care. The rationale for service integration in a health care setting is discussed and the conceptual underpinnings of the model are elaborated, drawing from the literature and clinical experience. Service encounter data collected by each staff member over a 1-year...
Author(s): Jason Forney, Sylvie Lombardo, Paul Toro
Publication Date: 2007
OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the relationship between psychiatric disorders, including substance abuse and dependence, and risk behaviors for contracting HIV. METHODS: A probability sample of 218 homeless men and women were recruited from food programs and shelters assisting homeless individuals in an urban metropolitan community. Mood disorders, schizophrenia, and substance abuse and dependence diagnoses were assessed with the Diagnostic In...
Author(s): Judith Stein, Adeline Nyamathi, Jodie Ullman, Peter Bentler
Publication Date: 2007
Studies among normative samples generally demonstrate a positive impact of marriage on health behaviors and other related attitudes. In this study, we examine the impact of marriage on HIV/AIDS risk behaviors and attitudes among impoverished, highly stressed, homeless couples, many with severe substance abuse problems. A multilevel analysis of 368 high-risk sexually intimate married and unmarried heterosexual couples assessed individual and coupl...
Author(s): Christina Meade, Roger Weiss
Publication Date: 2007
Persons with severe mental illness (SMI) comprise a growing proportion of the HIV-infected population, likely fueled by high rates of substance abuse. This article documents the rate of HIV infection among persons dually diagnosed with SMI and substance use disorders (SUDs) and reviews empirical studies examining the association between substance abuse and sexual risk behavior. It then discusses potential mechanisms through which substance abuse...
Author(s): Kimberly Tyler, Leslie Whitbeck, Xiaojin Chen, Kurt Johnson
Publication Date: 2007
Background: The study examined risk factors for having ever contracted sexually transmissible infections (STI) among a high-risk sample in midwestern USA. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among 428 homeless youth aged 16–19 years. Assessed correlates included child maltreatment, street exposure, sexual histories, street experiences and substance use. Results: Multivariate analyses revealed that males were 86% less likely to hav...
Author(s): Eunice Chen, Milton Brown, Tracy Lo, Marsha Linehan
Publication Date: 2007
We examined the rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) (using PDE and SCID-II) and substance abuse or dependence (SCID-I) (BPD-SUD) (N = 82) compared with those with BPD-only (N = 102), exploring mediators of this relationship. Participants were interviewed about STD history (gonorrhea, genital herpes, syphilis, trichomonas, human papillomavirus, and HIV), condom use, number of sexual par...
Publication Date: 2005
The Health of Homeless Adults in New York City represents an unprecedented collaboration between the health and homeless services agencies to better understand, and ultimately improve, the health of tens of thousands of New Yorkers who experience homelessness each year. While we still have much to learn about the relationship between homelessness and health, the report makes it clear that homeless individuals are susceptible to poor physical and...