THE AMERICAN HOMELESS FAMILY SHELTER SYSTEM

A significant increase in homelessness among families during the past decade has led to the establishment of an extensive family shelter sys tem, Because the number of shelters has grown so quickly, there is lit tle systematic information that describes them. In this study, we exam ine general characteristics, services offered, and common practices of 646 family shelters. Data are drawn from a mail survey of family shel ters in the database of a nonprofit organization devoted to research a nd action on homeless families. Analysis revealed that the system of f amily shelters is not a coordinated system but rather a diverse group of loosely connected programs, organized primarily by private sponsors , and that shelter practices often exclude the neediest families.