Homeless women with minor children in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Eighty-seven homeless families served by the emergency shelter of the Coalition on Temporary Shelter in Detroit during the first quarter of 1987 were studies through a review of admission data. Most of the families were black and contained an adult female with one or two minor children. Most of the mothers were young, did not have a high school diploma, and had no income. Some had histories of psychiatric disorders or substance abuse. Many had been in a dependent living situation before becoming homeless. Children accounted for more than one-fourth of admissions during the study period. Policies should address prevention of homelessness through income support programs, provision of low-income housing, basic living skill training programs, and mental health service delivery. When available resources fail in prevention, programming should address the effects of homelessness on children, because these effects perpetuate a cycle that will increase the homeless population in future generations.