Unsheltered homelessness among veterans: correlates and profiles
Files
Accepted manuscript
Date
2016-02
Authors
Byrne, Thomas H.
Montgomery, Ann Elizabeth
Fargo, Jamison D.
Version
OA Version
Citation
Thomas Byrne, Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, Jamison D Fargo. 2016. "Unsheltered Homelessness Among Veterans: Correlates and Profiles." Community Mental Health Journal, Volume 52, Issue 2, pp. 148 - 157.
Abstract
We identified correlates of unsheltered status among Veterans experiencing homelessness and describe
d distinct
subgroups within the unsheltered homeless Veteran population using data from a screening instrument for
homelessness that is administered to all Veterans accessing outpatient care at a Veterans Health Administration
(VHA) facility
.
Correlates o
f unsheltered homelessness included male gender, white race, older age, lower levels of
VHA eligibility, substance use disorders, frequent use of VHA inpatient and infrequent use of VHA outpatient
services, and residing in the West. We identified six disti
nct subgroups of unsheltered Veterans; the tri
-
morbid
frequent users represented the highest need group, but the largest group was comprised of Veterans who made
highly infrequent use of VHA healthcare services. Differences between sheltered and unshelter
ed Veterans and
heterogeneity within the unsheltered Veteran population should be considered in targeting housing and other
interventions.