Evolution of the Accommodation Situation Among Women Living Homeless in Madrid, Spain: A Longitudinal Study.

Women constitute a particularly vulnerable subgroup of people living homeless, with their own set of circumstances and life histories that are different from men in the same situation. In this paper, we present the results of a longitudinal study on the situation, needs, characteristics, and process of change among women in a homeless situation in Madrid (Spain). This study involved 136 homeless women who were spending the night at shelters, drop-in centers, on the street, or in public spaces. Data was collected through structured interviews conducted every 6 months for a total of 3 years. Throughout that period of time approximately half of the interviewed leaves the most extreme situation of homelessness. One in four interviewees gained access to independent accommodation, although in most cases this did not mean that they were no longer in a position of residential exclusion. The logistic regression analyses performed suggested that the variables with the closest correlation to improved accommodation were: receiving stable government economic benefits, obtaining income from work, not having Spanish nationality, not having a disability and having suffered fewer stressful life events at baseline, as well as a better perceived state of health. However, with regard to access to independent accommodation, the most closely-related variables were receiving stable government economic benefits and obtaining an income from work. Public Policy Relevance Statement: This longitudinal study showed that approximately half of the women living homeless interviewed in Madrid leaves the most extreme situation of homelessness during a 3-year follow-up period. The most significant factors in improving accommodation were receiving government benefits or income from work, having suffered fewer stressful life events, not having a disability and having better perceived health. The variables with the closest correlation to access to independent accommodation were receiving government benefits or obtaining a job. Data obtained can be useful for policy makers design programs to support women living homeless in the processes aimed at improving their situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]