1. Objectifs

Intentions :
The authors aim to describe homeless people’ «[...] characteristics, history and current situation and reports on within-group differences as a function of gender and current residential status.» (p. 442)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
68 homeless persons in Montreal that are followed «[...] by a specialised team affiliated with a front-line public health and welfare agency and dedicated to facilitating homeless persons’ access to health and social services.» (p. 442)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«The most commonly cited explanations for homelessness were substance abuse and relationship loss or breakdown. More than onehalf presented with mental health or substance abuse problems. More women than men had kept contact with their families and had stabilised their residential status. Persons who were currently living in stabilised circumstances had been homeless for a shorter period than the others, and two-thirds of them presented only one problem at intake. A minority in this group cited substance abuse as a precipitating factor. Three-quarters of the persons in this group were in contact with their family, and the majority received regular follow-up. In contrast, almost all the persons in the street/shelters group were men. Three-quarters of them had been homeless for more than 4 years, and two-thirds had more than three problems at intake.» (p. 445-446)