Gender Differences among First-Time Homeless Adults

Objectives: We examined gender differences among first-time homeless single men and women who were admitted to New York City shelters in 2001 and 2002. Although men far outnumber women among the ranks of single adult homeless people, there have been few studies of gender differences at homelessness onset. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 377 study participants upon entry into the shelter. Standardized assessments of psychiatric diagnosis, symptoms and coping skills, social and family history, and service use were analyzed. Men (N-181) and women (N=196) were compared using the Chi-square statistic. Results: Greater numbers of men were homeless after release from the criminal justice system or a hospital, while women were more likely to have lost their housing because of interpersonal conflict. Men had greater lifetime and current substance use disorder, antisocial personality disorder, arrest histories, and lifetime treatment for alcohol use compared to women. In contrast, women experienced greater childhood adversity, were more psychiatrically disabled, and were more likely to have a psychiatric treatment history compared to men. Conclusion: First time homeless men and women have markedly different profiles on childhood histories of adversity, reasons for homelessness, psychiatric and substance use disorders, prior treatment for psychiatric and substance use disorders, and arrest history. Such differences underscore the need for gender-specific services to address the respective problems that men and women present at shelter entry that may impair the ability to achieve lasting housing stability.