Emergency shelters in Vancouver, Canada.
The shelter experiences, employment history, income and social service needs utilization were examined among 124 emergency shelter users in Vancouver, British Columbia. Thirty-six (30.5%) reported this as their first experience with living in a shelter; the length of stay in the present shelter ranged from one to 90 days. Reasons for shelter use included: eviction from last place of residence, loss of job, or suffering from health problems rendering one unable to work. The highest unmet service needs were finding affordable housing and finding a job. This combination of scarcity of low-cost housing, health problems, and difficulty in finding employment have led to a situation where emergency shelters have become extended places of residence, a "home" to many.
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School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001955:British Columbia; D004630:Emergencies; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011638:Public Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012947:Social Work; D013997:Time Factors