title: Case management and access to services for homeless women.
abstract: Previous research on case management for homeless persons has not sufficiently addressed access to services for women of reproductive age. This cross-sectional study estimates the proportion of homeless women with case managers and the associations of case management with access to shelter; food stamps; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and general medical care. Nine hundred seventy-four homeless women were sampled in Los Angeles County in 1997 and asked about their use of services and whether they had case managers. Approximately 56 percent of respondents had case managers. Having a case manager was associated with greater odds of using food stamps and of finding shelter without difficulty in the previous 30 days, but not with use of WIC or with unmet needs for medical care. More assertive forms of outreach may be necessary to link this population to case managers and a broader range of services.
authors.affiliation: Research Centers in Minority Institutions, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Heslin
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gelberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019090:Case Management; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008875:Middle Aged; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000208:ethnology; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*