Ties,sites and irregularities: pitfalls and benefits in using respondent-driven sampling for surveying a homeless population

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a survey method for hidden populations and, as such, it offers a suitable approach for sampling the homeless. Surprisingly, the practical use of RDS in surveying homeless populations has only sporadically been described in the professional literature so far, and the specifics of using RDS for sampling this group have not been reflected in depth. The goal of the article is to investigate how three specific concerns, namely the transitional character of social ties among the homeless, problems with locating the interview site, and the irregular use of coupons, affect the sampling process. The findings of the article are based on experience using RDS for creating two independent samples of homeless persons in two Czech cities. Worries of poor referral effectiveness were disproved, but poor validity of the network size indicator, tendency towards irregular use of coupons, and negative effects arising from selecting service centres for the homeless as survey sites were confirmed.     

Neighborhood Outcomes of Formally Homeless Veterans Participating in the HUD-VASH Program

Research regarding how neighborhoods affect the people who live in them has grown in recent years. However, the neighborhood outcomes of formally homeless veterans have not received the attention this group warrants. This article examines the neighborhood outcomes of two groups of housing voucher holders. Using administrative data, this exploratory study finds that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) voucher holders receiving comprehensive case management reside in higher quality neighborhoods than those who do not receive these services. Additionally, this effect seems to be a more critical factor for African Americans than Whites. Use of case managers with housing vouchers may improve African American residential outcomes in terms of neighborhood quality.     

Homeless Affiliation, Location, and Sender Address in Return of Lost Letters

A field study used 1008 lost letters to test the hypotheses that the differences in returned responses would be attributable to the addressee (i.e., ending homelessness-control or preventing it among youth, veterans, and lesbians) and especially to a socially deviant addressee, that cultural differences between distribution locations might influence returned responses of lost letters, and that sender address (i.e., urban, rural, control) would also influence returned responses. Both addressees' affiliations and distribution location were associated with returned responses, with the lowest rates being for the Prevent Lesbian Homelessness Program affiliate overall and for the city of Pensacola, respectively. Antigay prejudice toward a deviant group may still be strong even when a helping act can be performed without intimate contact involving members of deviant group. Neither distribution location nor the sender or return address conditions were associated with different returned responses. Further testing of the lost letter technique, as a measure of public response, may be warranted.     

流浪儿童救助保护中科学化、人性化与法制化的统一

流浪儿童救助保护工作是我国救助管理工作的重要组成部分,但是《救助管理办法》不仅可操作性不强,而且缺乏对流浪儿童救助管理的特殊规定。这就要求我们在现有法律的框架下,科学分析流浪儿童的各方面情况,大胆探索,勇于创新,全面开创流浪儿童救助保护工作的新局面,做到流浪儿童救助保护科学化、人性化和法制化的统一。     

Is There an Emotional Cost of Completing High School? Ecological Factors and Psychological Distress Among LGBT Homeless Youth

This study explored the nexus of home and school climate on the psychological distress of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) homeless youth, as well as their experiences during high school. Of the LGBT homeless youth (N = 89) surveyed, 39.3% reported not completing high school. Most participants did not seek support from school staff nor did they report attending a school with a Gay-Straight Alliance. Significantly higher levels of psychological distress were found among high school graduates and those reporting LGBT harassment at home; however, harassment experienced at school was not statistically related to psychological distress. Findings are discussed.     

Determinants of runaway episodes among adolescents using crisis shelter services

This study investigated youth and family factors associated with runaway episodes. Youth and family characteristics are described for adolescents utilising emergency shelter services in Texas and New York, and the study explored multivariate models to determine the individual and family effects on runaway recidivism. A convenience sample of 349 youth using runaway shelter services was recruited; 154 runaway youth from New York and 195 from Texas shelters participated. Adolescents completed several self-report measures; negative binomial regression analyses were conducted. Findings demonstrated that characteristics of adolescents and family factors are significant predictors of adolescents' runaway episodes when statistically controlling for region of the country. Social workers in emergency youth shelters and child welfare settings are in a unique position to develop effective strategies to meet the needs of this high-risk group of young people.     

Socially excluding housing support to homeless substance misusers: two Swedish case studies of special category housing

This article discusses special category housing for homeless addicts, based on case studies of two different housing programmes and using both qualitative and quantitative data. The staff and residents were interviewed about their experiences of the programmes. Longitudinal data were collected on various indicators of substance misuse and the frequency of contact with the social services at different levels. Our findings show that special category housing has positive direct effects on the housing stability of the residents and their feelings regarding their quality of life, but not on their substance misuse. However, the increased housing stability seems to be more a direct effect of their staying on the programme, rather than a long-term effect. Furthermore, although their quality of life improves, the residents still experience a lack of belonging and feel that their lives lack meaningful content. The choice of special category housing as an intervention model thus seems to perpetuate rather than prevent social exclusion and can possibly be described as an expression of 'institutionalised resignation'.     

Development of a Short-Form Scale of Public Attitudes Toward Homelessness

Nationwide, demographic changes have led to an increased awareness of the impact of cultural diversity on the delivery of medical and psychological care. Due to the over-representation of minority and socially stigmatized groups among those affected by HIV, understanding the effects of psychosocial, linguistic and cultural membership or treatment relationships is crucial. In the psychological treatment of HIV-infected patients, psychotherapists can enhance the lives of their patients and support their involvement and compliance with medical treatment planning Case studies are presented in which psychotherapy helped resolve difficulties in the medical care of three HIV-positive women that were due to cultural misunderstanding between doctors and patients.     

The Social Ecology of Homelessness: Exploring the Dynamics of Engagement among Homeless Street Adults

The study examines interaction patterns of homeless populations. The study explores how this population interacts within a given environment. The current study utilizes a person/environment engagement model to analyze behavioral interaction and perceptions in relation to the environment. The author establishes the notion that engagement is dependent on perception of the environment and actual environmental condition. This dual orientation presents a conundrum between internal feelings and external influence. On the one hand, behavior is a consequence of external environment. On the other hand, environment is the consequence of the individual's behavior. Given harsh conditions, the results revealed that either way of understanding is problematic. The author uses modern ecological perspective to develop conditions and interaction patterns.