OLDER HOMELESS WOMEN

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Although women aged 50 and over are thought to comprise one-fifth of all homeless women, they have generally been rendered invisible because of a focus on younger homeless women engaged in childrearing roles. Because little is known about older homeless women, it has been difficult to assess their needs or plan an appropriate array of health and supportive services for them. Using survey techniques, in-depth interviewing, and ethnographic techniques, we aim to provide the first large-scale systematic examination of older homeless women. We will interview 250 homeless women aged 50 and over living in the shelters and streets of New York City. We will also interview key personnel working in programs serving this population. Specific areas to be examined are: (1) The demographics; mental and physical health; levels of substance abuse, and victimization; social needs and supports; (2) Subsets of the population such as the mentally ill and substance abusers; (3) The pathways to homelessness; (4) Social networks and their relevance to survival; (5) Psychological/phenomenological aspects of the homeless condition; (6) The environmental/social context of homelessness; (7) A theoretical model of adaptation; (8) To contrast this population with other marginal and community populations examined previously; (9) To improve service delivery by utilizing information for (1) - (8) and by contrasting women who accept various levels of services. The study will be conducted over a 30-month period.