ResearchNutritional and economic advantages for homeless families in shelters providing kitchen facilities and food☆
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BACKGROUND
Family shelters in this study were private, nonprofit agencies that held contracts with the MDPW in 1988 and 1989. They provided shelter, a range of support services, and food or kitchen facilities to homeless families. Most clients were referred to them by the MDPW or other local public or private agencies, although some sought shelter on their own.
Under certain conditions, the MDPW placed families in commercial hotels and paid for their rooms. Most hotel placements were made because shelter
Selection of Hotels and Family Shelters
Study sites were located in cities and towns composing two MDSS catchment areas (Boston and North Shore). All hotels housing homeless clients of these MDSS offices and all MDPW-funded family shelters in the same or nearby towns were enumerated at the outset of the study. At that time 12 hotels were in use, but the list varied, and interviews were obtained at 11. Of 18 family shelters identified, 12 participated in the study, 2 agreed to participate but closed before data collection, and 4
Income, Expenditures, and Attitudes
Characteristics of the respondents are shown in Table 2. Few differences were apparent among groups. Most respondents (n = 59, 77%) had lived in the Boston area for more than 5 years, and 24 (31%) had been in another hotel or shelter before being placed in the current site (not shown).
DISCUSSION
In this study, homeless families who lived in shelters where kitchen facilities and food were available had notable economic and nutritional advantages. In such settings, food expenditures were lower, dietary quality was higher, and keeping food on hand appeared to be easier. To our knowledge, the comparisons presented are the first systematic documentation of the food-related disadvantages experienced by homeless families in hotels.
Our data also indicate that families who lose housing may yet
APPLICATIONS
Access to kitchen facilities and food in shelters and hotels may influence food expenditures, food procurement practices, and the diets of women in homeless families. Although mothers in family shelters are more likely than those in hotels to regard their diets and access to food in a positive light, risk of inadequate nutrient intake exists in both settings. Mothers who live in hotels appear to consume diets of lower nutrient density obtained at higher cost to the family. Food choices
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge Judy Hothan, MSW, and other staff at the Massachusetts Department of Social Services for their extensive roles in implementing the study; Garland Kemper of the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare for help with obtaining caseload descriptions; and all of the participating shelters. We also thank Carol Jean West Suitor. DSc, RD, who kindly provided her dietary questionnaire and software for our use.
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1994, Journal of the American Dietetic Association
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Partial support for this research was provided by the Culpeper Foundation, by the US Department of Health and Human Services grant No. MCJ9120 to J. T. Dwyer, and by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service under contract number 53-3k06-5-10.