Table 1.
Characteristics of homeless adults with mental illness at the Toronto site of the At Home/Chez Soi project ( N = 550)
| Characteristic | Total N (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, y | <30 years old | 131 (23.8) |
| 30-39 years old | 129 (23.5) | |
| 40-49 years old | 176 (32.0) | |
| ≥50 years old | 114 (20.7) | |
| Male£ | 384 (69.8) | |
| Race§ | White | 194 (35.3) |
| Black | 190 (34.5) | |
| Other ethnic minority | 166 (30.2) | |
| Monthly income, CAD | <$500 | 198 (36.0) |
| $500-$999 | 233 (42.4) | |
| ≥$1,000 | 118 (21.5) | |
| Homeless for ≥3 years | 287 (52.2) | |
| Immigrant | 251 (45.6) | |
| Has a regular medical doctor | 360 (65.5) | |
| Has a usual source of outpatient care | 492 (89.5) | |
| Has a provincial health card | 512 (93.1) | |
| Unmet healthcare needs | 218 (39.6) | |
| CSI ≥30† | 427 (77.6) | |
| Psychotic disorder‡ | 200 (36.4) | |
| GAIN SDScr (lifetime) | No or low severity | 96 (17.5) |
| Moderate severity | 102 (18.5) | |
| High severity | 342 (62.2) | |
| Hospital ER visits in the past 6 months | No visits | 223 (40.5) |
| 1 visit | 141 (25.6) | |
| ≥ 2 visits | 178 (32.4) | |
Column totals may not add to the total sample size because of missing data.
£Male category includes transgender/transsexual individuals.
§Other ethnic minority category included individuals with Asian, Middle Eastern, Aboriginal, Latin American, and mixed racial/ethnic background.
†CSI ≥30, score ≥30 on the Colorado Symptom Index indicates psychiatric disability and presence of clinically significant mental symptoms.
‡MINI v. 6.0; the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 6.0.
GAIN SDScr; Global Assessment of Individual Need Short Screener. Counts are triaged into low (0 symptoms), moderate (1-2 symptoms), and high (3 or more symptoms) severity symptoms.