No digital divide? Technology use among homeless adults

ABSTRACT

Homeless adults experience increased risk of negative health outcomes, and technology-based interventions may provide an opportunity for improving health in this population. However, little is known about homeless adults’ technology access and use. Utilizing data from a study of 421 homeless adults moving into PSH, this paper presents descriptive technology findings, and compares results to age-matched general population data. The vast majority (94%) currently owned a cell phone, although there was considerable past 3-month turnover in phones (56%) and phone numbers (55%). More than half currently owned a smartphone, and 86% of those used Android operating systems. Most (85%) used a cell phone daily, 76% used text messaging, and 51% accessed the Internet on their cell phone. One-third reported no past 3-month Internet use. These findings suggest that digital technology may be a feasible means of disseminating health and wellness programs to this at-risk population, though important caveats are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Homelessness
• technology use
• cell phones
• internet access
• digital divide

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Harmony Rhoades holds an MS in Epidemiology and a PhD in Sociology from UCLA, and is a research assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work. Her research focuses on understanding behavioral health and social integration outcomes and the impact of the built environment and service utilization among vulnerable populations, including socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, persons experiencing homelessness, sexual and gender minority populations, those living with HIV/AIDS, and those with serious mental illness.

Suzanne L. Wenzel, PhD, is the Richard M. and Ann L. Thor Professor in Urban Social Development and serves as chair of the Department of Adult Mental Health and Wellness at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She has been the principal investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health projects focusing on the needs of homeless and other vulnerable populations, has served on national and international scientific review panels, and is a fellow in the Association for Psychological Science.

Eric Rice, PhD, is an associate professor in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. He is an expert in social network theory and analysis, and the application of social network methods to HIV prevention research. He is committed to community-based participatory research, and has worked closely with many community-based organizations on issues of HIV prevention for homeless youth and impoverished families. He has served as an external reviewer for Los Angeles County’s Office of AIDS Programs and Policy and has helmed multiple large-scale research projects with homeless youth and high risk adolescents.

Hailey Winetrobe, MPH, is the project manager on the NIDA-funded Transitions to Housing study in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her research interests include homelessness, HIV risk and preventive behaviors, and social networks. Hailey earned her Master’s in Public Health from the University of California Los Angeles and is a certified health education specialist.

Benjamin Henwood, PhD, MSW, is a recognized expert in mental health and housing services research whose work connects clinical interventions with social policy. He is a co-author of Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives published by Oxford University Press, and his proposal to end homelessness has been adopted by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare as a grand challenge to orient the profession. Dr. Henwood is currently an assistant professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse under Grant R01 DA36345.