Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
University of Calgary's School of Public Policy, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
BMC Public Health. 2020 Mar 26;20(1):397. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-8353-1.
The purpose of this study is to highlight the experiences of women who are often hidden in what we know and understand about homelessness, and to make policy and practice recommendations for women-centred services including adaptations to current housing interventions.
Three hundred survey interviews were conducted with people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The survey instrument measured socio-demographics, adverse childhood experiences, mental and physical health, and perceived accessibility to resources. Eighty-one women participants were identified as a subsample to be examined in greater depth. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were calculated to provide insight into women respondents' characteristics and experiences of homelessness and how they differed from men's experiences.
Women's experiences of homelessness are different from their male counterparts. Women have greater mental health concerns, higher rates of diagnosed mental health issues, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and adverse childhood trauma. The results should not be considered in isolation, as the literature suggests, because they are highly interconnected.
In order to ensure that women who are less visible in their experiences of homelessness are able to access appropriate services, it is important that service provision is both gender specific and trauma-informed. Current Housing First interventions should be adapted to ensure women's safety is protected and their unique needs are addressed.
本研究旨在突显那些经常在我们对无家可归现象的了解和认知中被隐藏起来的女性的经历，并为以女性为中心的服务提出政策和实践建议，包括对当前住房干预措施的调整，以满足这些女性的需求。
在加拿大阿尔伯塔省卡尔加里市，对 300 名无家可归者进行了调查访谈。调查工具衡量了社会人口统计学、不良童年经历、心理健康和身体健康以及对资源的感知可及性。确定了 81 名女性参与者作为子样本进行更深入的检查。计算了描述性统计数据和逻辑回归，以深入了解女性受访者的特征和无家可归经历，以及她们与男性经历的不同之处。
女性无家可归的经历与男性不同。女性的心理健康问题更为严重，被诊断出患有精神健康问题、自杀念头和企图以及不良童年创伤的比例更高。这些结果不应孤立地看待，因为文献表明，这些结果是高度相互关联的。
为了确保那些在无家可归经历中不太显眼的女性能够获得适当的服务，提供特定于性别的服务和创伤知情服务非常重要。目前的“先住后付”干预措施应进行调整，以确保妇女的安全得到保护，并满足她们的独特需求。
