Contrasting a shelter and day center for homeless mentally ill women: four patterns of service use.

This article examines a model of service delivery for homeless mentally ill women, a combined day center and shelter program. Using data from participant observation and in-depth interviews with 21 clients, four patterns of day center and shelter use are delineated. Overall, few women from the day center make the transition to the shelter, and then to permanent housing and mental health stability. In the absence of a comprehensive public mental health system and low-income housing, however, many more women benefit from periodic use of the shelter as respite from the streets and from daily support services provided by the day center.