Lifetime and five-year prevalence of homelessness in the United States: new evidence on an old debate

Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1995 Jul;65(3):347-54. doi: 10.1037/h0079653.

Abstract

A 1990 household-based telephone survey of 1,507 people was followed up by surveying a subsample of those interviewed for the initial report. Results showed very high prevalence figures for homelessness, quite close to those found in the earlier survey. Moreover, using explicit and stringent definitions of literal homelessness and doubling up, most periods of homelessness were found to last for more than one month and, particularly with regard to literal homelessness, to involve serious deprivations and violent victimization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bias
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Crime / statistics & numerical data
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Data Collection
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Ill-Housed Persons / statistics & numerical data*
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Population Surveillance*
  • Psychosocial Deprivation
  • Public Housing / statistics & numerical data
  • Sampling Studies
  • Social Problems / statistics & numerical data*
  • United States / epidemiology
  • Urban Population / statistics & numerical data*
  • Violence / statistics & numerical data