3 ms·

> More than half of participants were women, while 30% were male and 18% identified as transgender or gender inclusive. Why were the ratios not representative

> More than half of participants were women, while 30% were male and 18% identified as transgender or gender inclusive. Why were the ratios not representative of actual homeless demographics? Most homeless people are biological men by an overwhelming majority. Maybe transgendered people and women seek more help? Or the people conducting this study were biased themselves? As a result, I don’t think the results universally say something about homelessness.

bandrami 9mo ago
Probably because homeless women are more likely than homeless men to access social services, which means they're where the program directors can find them?
duskwuff 9mo ago
This program specifically targeted homeless youth; it seems plausible that the demographics of that segment might differ from the larger community.
- threethirtytwo 9mo ago
  This makes sense, targeting youth likely has a higher chance of a better outcome?
  - kayfox 9mo ago
    From my experiences, it does have a higher chance of better outcome, as homeless youth are usually homeless because of some family issue and not because they are unable to hold down a job as a result of drug abuse or being homeless.
    - apothegm 9mo ago
      Yup. And the longer they’re homeless the higher the likelihood that they do develop health or drug problems and shift from being relatively easy to relatively difficult to get back on their feet. Plus, homeless youth can include kids as young as 14 or 15, who are especially vulnerable to predators on the street.
  - pseudalopex 9mo ago
    There are reasons targeting youth could be more effective. But a more direct reason this project targeted youth was Oregon's homeless youth program designed it.
3rodents 9mo ago
it’s a youth program ran by a youth organization. Young people dealing with family problems due to gender identity, sexuality etc. are a very large portion of homeless youth. I would guess transgender people are underrepresented at just 18%.
luafox 9mo ago
From the article: > The program prioritized underrepresented populations. That includes young parents, who made up 43% of participants by the end of the period. Homeless parents are almost always women with very few exceptions. Now, in my personal opinion, "underrepresented populations" in this kind of environment refers to people who are at greater immediate risk while homeless, which obviously include women & genderqueer people, as well as those who are young+single parents or are disabled. Find and read the actual full report for more details though.
- threethirtytwo 9mo ago
  >The program prioritized underrepresented populations. Do you know why they did this? Transgenderism or being a woman is an orthogonal concept to homelessness. Whatever demographic you're in, if you are homeless, you are suffering and I assume are exposed to the same gender neutral dangers that arise from being homeless. What exactly is the greater danger that would need such prioritization?
  - Kuraj 9mo ago
    Queer people are at a greater risk of being estranged from their families, if nothing else.
    - pseudocomposer 9mo ago
      I guess the flipside of this is, do we want poor/homeless people from groups our society dubs “overrepresented” to only be able to find help from organizations that specifically serve selected “overrepresented” groups? Are there no obvious bad sides to that? Because you can’t really have the one without the other.
    - threethirtytwo 9mo ago
      Aren't all homeless people estranged from families? I assume family would help if it was a possibility.
      - 9mo ago
gamblor956 9mo ago
True, but most straight male homeless individuals are homeless because of substance abuse, so giving them money doesn't address the cause of their homelessness in any way. The targeted populations were primarily homeless for economic reasons, so the point of the experiment was to demonstrate that the simplest/most efficient solution was just to give them some money.
- pseudalopex 9mo ago
  > most straight male homeless individuals are homeless because of substance abuse Do you have a citation for this?
  - gamblor956 9mo ago
    You're welcome to walk yourself down to Skid Row or your nearest homeless camp and conduct a detailed survey if you want the specifics. Or, a simple Google search will provide several studies including demographic details.
    - pseudalopex 9mo ago
      > You're welcome to walk yourself down to Skid Row or your nearest homeless camp and conduct a detailed survey if you want the specifics. What country is the subject of this discussion? I assumed the US because the article was about Oregon. Most homeless people in the US do not live in camps.[1] > Or, a simple Google search will provide several studies including demographic details. Simple searches found researchers couldn't agree how many homeless people used drugs. Never mind abused. Never mind abused before becoming homeless. Never mind became homeless because they abused drugs. Simple searches found citations for the claim substance abused caused most homelessness failed to support the claim. A survey cited frequently asked mayors what they thought were the top causes of homelessness in their cities. Simple searches found studies which said homelessness was economic primarily. [1] https://aibm.org/research/homelessness-in-the-united-states/ https://aibm.org/research/homelessness-in-the-united-states/
      - 9mo ago
kayfox 9mo ago
Your comparing statistics for homeless adults to homeless youth. From my experience being a homeless youth 20 years ago, LGBTQ individuals make up a large share of homeless youth, I would guess more than 50% at the time. There may be less gay or lesbian homeless youth these days, but transgender youth may have grown.
jmalicki 9mo ago
Something noone else has said here, and I don't know the degree to which it is true for this study, but good study design generally includes stratified sampling. e.g. if there are subpopulations whose experience differs a lot, you want to have those populations overrepresented in your study to reduce variance of study. This is basic statistics.
insane_dreamer 9mo ago
It was a small pilot (120 people) -- given the number of homeless in Portland alone, it wouldn't be difficult to find 60 who were women even if women make up a smallish percentage of overall homeless.

bandrami 9mo ago

Probably because homeless women are more likely than homeless men to access social services, which means they're where the program directors can find them?

duskwuff 9mo ago

This program specifically targeted homeless youth; it seems plausible that the demographics of that segment might differ from the larger community.

threethirtytwo 9mo ago
This makes sense, targeting youth likely has a higher chance of a better outcome?
- kayfox 9mo ago
  From my experiences, it does have a higher chance of better outcome, as homeless youth are usually homeless because of some family issue and not because they are unable to hold down a job as a result of drug abuse or being homeless.
  - apothegm 9mo ago
    Yup. And the longer they’re homeless the higher the likelihood that they do develop health or drug problems and shift from being relatively easy to relatively difficult to get back on their feet. Plus, homeless youth can include kids as young as 14 or 15, who are especially vulnerable to predators on the street.
- pseudalopex 9mo ago
  There are reasons targeting youth could be more effective. But a more direct reason this project targeted youth was Oregon's homeless youth program designed it.

3rodents 9mo ago

it’s a youth program ran by a youth organization. Young people dealing with family problems due to gender identity, sexuality etc. are a very large portion of homeless youth. I would guess transgender people are underrepresented at just 18%.

luafox 9mo ago

From the article: > The program prioritized underrepresented populations. That includes young parents, who made up 43% of participants by the end of the period. Homeless parents are almost always women with very few exceptions. Now, in my personal opinion, "underrepresented populations" in this kind of environment refers to people who are at greater immediate risk while homeless, which obviously include women & genderqueer people, as well as those who are young+single parents or are disabled. Find and read the actual full report for more details though.

threethirtytwo 9mo ago
>The program prioritized underrepresented populations. Do you know why they did this? Transgenderism or being a woman is an orthogonal concept to homelessness. Whatever demographic you're in, if you are homeless, you are suffering and I assume are exposed to the same gender neutral dangers that arise from being homeless. What exactly is the greater danger that would need such prioritization?
- Kuraj 9mo ago
  Queer people are at a greater risk of being estranged from their families, if nothing else.
  - pseudocomposer 9mo ago
    I guess the flipside of this is, do we want poor/homeless people from groups our society dubs “overrepresented” to only be able to find help from organizations that specifically serve selected “overrepresented” groups? Are there no obvious bad sides to that? Because you can’t really have the one without the other.
  - threethirtytwo 9mo ago
    Aren't all homeless people estranged from families? I assume family would help if it was a possibility.
    - 9mo ago

gamblor956 9mo ago

True, but most straight male homeless individuals are homeless because of substance abuse, so giving them money doesn't address the cause of their homelessness in any way. The targeted populations were primarily homeless for economic reasons, so the point of the experiment was to demonstrate that the simplest/most efficient solution was just to give them some money.

pseudalopex 9mo ago
> most straight male homeless individuals are homeless because of substance abuse Do you have a citation for this?
- gamblor956 9mo ago
  You're welcome to walk yourself down to Skid Row or your nearest homeless camp and conduct a detailed survey if you want the specifics. Or, a simple Google search will provide several studies including demographic details.
  - pseudalopex 9mo ago
    > You're welcome to walk yourself down to Skid Row or your nearest homeless camp and conduct a detailed survey if you want the specifics. What country is the subject of this discussion? I assumed the US because the article was about Oregon. Most homeless people in the US do not live in camps.[1] > Or, a simple Google search will provide several studies including demographic details. Simple searches found researchers couldn't agree how many homeless people used drugs. Never mind abused. Never mind abused before becoming homeless. Never mind became homeless because they abused drugs. Simple searches found citations for the claim substance abused caused most homelessness failed to support the claim. A survey cited frequently asked mayors what they thought were the top causes of homelessness in their cities. Simple searches found studies which said homelessness was economic primarily. [1] https://aibm.org/research/homelessness-in-the-united-states/ https://aibm.org/research/homelessness-in-the-united-states/
    - 9mo ago

kayfox 9mo ago

Your comparing statistics for homeless adults to homeless youth. From my experience being a homeless youth 20 years ago, LGBTQ individuals make up a large share of homeless youth, I would guess more than 50% at the time. There may be less gay or lesbian homeless youth these days, but transgender youth may have grown.

jmalicki 9mo ago

Something noone else has said here, and I don't know the degree to which it is true for this study, but good study design generally includes stratified sampling. e.g. if there are subpopulations whose experience differs a lot, you want to have those populations overrepresented in your study to reduce variance of study. This is basic statistics.

insane_dreamer 9mo ago

It was a small pilot (120 people) -- given the number of homeless in Portland alone, it wouldn't be difficult to find 60 who were women even if women make up a smallish percentage of overall homeless.