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Environment and Behavior
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Sleeping Rough

Exploring the Differences Between Shelter-Using and Non-Shelter-Using Homeless Individuals

Larissa Larsen

School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan

Ernie Poortinga

University of Michigan

Donna E. Hurdle

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Research has revealed that homeless individuals are not a homogenous group of individuals but are members of distinct subpopulations united by a common need for shelter. Very little research has been done to understand the subpopulation of homeless individuals that opt to avoid using homeless shelters and prefer "sleeping rough." Using a case control study design, this article compares the characteristics of 85 homeless individuals who use shelter services with 45 homeless individuals that choose not to use the shelters in Phoenix, Arizona. The homeless individual that opts not to use the shelter is more likely to have experienced court-ordered psychiatric treatment, consumes larger quantities of alcohol more regularly, is more likely to be Native American, and more frequently works as a day laborer. A social ecology model is proposed as an interpretation tool to understand the connections between this group’s behavior and the environmental conditions.

Key Words: homeless • services • shelter • psychiatry • social ecology

Environment and Behavior, Vol. 36, No. 4, 578-591 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0013916503261385
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