Comparison of Outcomes of Homeless Female and Male Veterans in Transitional Housing

Homelessness among female veterans is of national concern, but there have been few studies of how they differ from male veterans or whether they have different outcomes. This study compared 59 female and 1,181 male participants in a multi-site study of three VA-funded transitional housing programs over a 1-year period following completion of an episode of treatment. At baseline, female participants were younger, reported more psychiatric symptoms, had shorter histories of homelessness, were less likely to have substance use disorders, and were less likely to be working than males. After controlling for these baseline differences, there were no overall gender differences in outcomes measures of housing, employment, substance use, physical and mental health, or quality of life. These results suggest homeless female veterans have different characteristics than male veterans, but benefit equally from transitional housing.