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299010
A Comparison of Completers and Non-Completers of the Transitional Marian House Program for Homeless Women: Employment and Community Re-Entry

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014

Sheila T. Fitzgerald, PhD, RN , Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Katie Allston, LCSW-C , Marian House, Baltimore, MD
Alexandra Maher, RN, MSN/MPH Candidate , Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
Since 1982, Marian House  provides a structured community-living environment for homeless women, many with a history of incarceration. We now report an outcomes study describing the results of a 10-year review (2001-2011) of 328 completers and 147 non-completers of the Phase I Marian House rehabilitation program designed to assist women to achieve independence and employment. Our data analysis will compare the outcomes of employment status  as well as housing stability and avoidance of re-incarceration and/or drug use among the completers and non-completers of the Marian House program. Logistic regression will evaluate outcomes and the independent predictors and covariates that include age, education, mental health, recidivism, and sexual trauma during childhood and/or adulthood.

Completers of the Marian House program were age, n=41+6.7, African American, n=279 (85.0%), reported prior chemical addiction, n=248 (75.9%), history of childhood, n=132 (40.2%) or adult n=118 (35.9%) sexual assault, n=120 (36.5%) reported chronic mental illness, n=258 (78.6%) where ex-offenders and n=168 (51.2%) had less than a high school education. Non-completers were age,  39+ 5.2, n=119 (80.9%), African American, n=138(94%) had prior addiction, mental illness, n=74 (50.3), reported childhood n=65 (44.2%) or adult n=46 (31.2%) sexual trauma, n=110 (74.8%) were ex-offenders and n=70 (47.6%) had not completed high school.

Data obtained from the Department of Labor, Licensing and Registration revealed that women who completed the program were employed for at least 8 quarters following graduation from Marian House at twice that of non-completers (50.6% vs. 25.2%) and had median quarterly earnings post-exit Marian House twice that of non-completers ($4,230 vs. $2.028). 

Preliminary findings suggest that completion of the Marian House program prepares women to overcome homelessness and successfully return to the community as productive and contributing members of society. Implications for prevention and policy initiatives for this population will be discussed.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe an outcome evaluation of 328 women graduates of Marian House and 147 non-completers, a residential program for homeless women from 2001-2011.

Keyword(s): Underserved Populations, Homelessness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Within this graduate program, my coursework concentration is occupational and environmental health, an area within which I focus specifically on vulnerable worker populations. The evaluation of Marian House’s provision of services to homeless women was informed by occupational health and program assessment coursework, in addition to direct clinical experience with homeless populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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