TABLE 1.
Participant characteristics
| Participant characteristic | n (%) |
|---|---|
| N = 30 | |
| Age | |
| Mean | 48 years |
| Range | 30–60 years |
| Gender | |
| Male | 19 (63 %) |
| Female | 11 (37 %) |
| Race | |
| White | 17 (57 %) |
| Aboriginal ancestry | 10 (33 %) |
| Other | 3 (10 %) |
| Current housing | |
| SRO hotel | 16 (53 %) |
| Apartment | 7 (23 %) |
| Unsheltered | 2 (7 %) |
| Other | 5 (17 %) |
| Substance use (30 days prior to interview)a | |
| Heroin | 18 (60 %) |
| Crack cocaine | 11 (36 %) |
| Crystal methamphetamine | 11 (36 %) |
| Powdered cocaine | 7 (23 %) |
| Other opiates | 6 (20 %) |
| Interactions with security guards (2 years prior to interview)a | |
| Told to move on | 25 (83 %) |
| Verbally abused | 18 (60 %) |
| Chased | 13 (43 %) |
| Searched | 9 (30 %) |
| Property taken | 6 (20 %) |
| Assaulted | 5 (17%) |
| Income generation (2 years prior to interview)a | |
| Social assistance | 28 (93 %) |
| Full- and/or part-time employment | 18 (60 %) |
| Recycling/binning | 16 (53 %) |
| Reselling goods | 16 (53 %) |
| Drug dealing | 10 (33 %) |
| Panhandling | 5 (17 %) |
aParticipants were able to select more than one response