Homeless women, disaffiliation and social agencies

Homeless individuals have limited social support systems. Not clearly defined, however, is the relationship between homelessness, gender, and social agencies. In our study 102 homeless individuals were interviewed in shelters. This included administration of the SADS and the subject's rating their perceived level of support from friends, family and social agencies. Significant findings in the analysis showed a higher level of perceived support by males than by females (p < 0.05). More precisely, this was true in the area of support from social agencies, where females rated support from these organizations as significantly lower than did males (p < 0.05). The findings were unchanged when age, presence of psychiatric illness or length of time homeless were factored in. Important implications for public policy are clear since existing social service agencies working with the homeless are less likely to be perceived as supportive by females than by males.