Patterns of Consumer Usage of Homeless Outreach Services

Abstract

Outreach programs are a vital part of the continuum of services for the homeless. To investigate the characteristics of consumers of such programs and the services they receive, a sample of 446 clients of a homeless outreach program in New York City was divided into those who visited only once, two to three times, and four or more times during a 1-month period. Chi-square analyses revealed that the groups differed significantly with regard to previous client status, clinical diagnosis, referrals provided, and service outcome. Correspondence analyses further specified relationships between visit frequency and select characteristics. Implications of the findings for service delivery are considered.