Risk factors for homelessness in adolescents released from psychiatric residential treatment

Objectives: To measure the incidence of homelessness among youths discharge d from an inpatient facility as well as to identify factors that place thes e youths st risk for homelessness. Method: Reports of homelessness during 5 years of follow-up interviews with 83 adolescents consecutively discharged from an inpatient facility were used in conjunction with chart reviews. Re sults: One third of youths experienced at least one homeless episode after discharge. Youths who had a history of substance use, physical abuse, runni ng away, or being in state custody were more likely to become homeless than those without such factors. Having a thought disorder, however, was invers ely related to becoming homeless after hospital discharge. Conclusions: You ths discharged from a residential treatment facility are at high risk for b ecoming homeless. Interventions to prevent homelessness among adolescent in patients should be targeted to those with a history of substance abuse, phy sical abuse, running away, and being in state custody.