Supporting Family Life: A Survey of Homeless Shelters

Autor: Priscilla M. D. Little, Cheryl Almeida, Francine Jacobs
Rok vydání: 1993
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless. 2:269-288
ISSN: 1573-658X
1053-0789
Popis: Survey data from a national sample of homeless family shelters (N=59)were analyzed to describe the family support programming available to residents. Data were reported on facility and resident characteristics and family support programming, as well as on facility admission criteria and program participation requirements. Four independent variables (length of stay, shelter capacity, sponsorship, and program philosophy) were examined for their relationship to the family-oriented services offered. Facilities sheltered an average of 17 families, with a range of 2–200; the average length of stay for families was slightly over 5 months. Regarding family programming, services of an educational nature were more popular than those focused on providing support or therapy/intervention; services to parents to further adult development were more often offered than those either directed to parents in their parenting roles or to the family as a unit. Virtually all shelters (98%) applied eligibility criteria to families seeking admission. The most common reasons for exclusion were active drug (86%) and alcohol (83%) abuse by a family member; 40% also refused acceptance to families with adolescent males. Seventy-eight percent of facilities mandated participation in some support services. Smaller shelters operated with greater numbers of exclusions (¯x=5.98773; p
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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