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Case management with homeless women: A descriptive study

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Abstract

This article presents the results of a three-year survey of the activities of two case managers following 25 homeless women with substance abuse problems. The case managers' activity record indicated that a great deal of the case managers' energy was devoted to providing direct, concrete services. More than half the clients received four weekly contacts, for an average total of two hours/client/week. Furthermore, direct support accounted for 42.2% of all contacts reported by the case managers, suggesting that, although case managers fill many different functions, establishing and maintaining a significant relationship with the participants constituted a major part of their work. The study confirms that a high staff-to-client ratio is required to respond to the multiple needs of this population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychosocial Research Unit of the Douglas Hospital, 6875 LaSalle Boulevard, H4H 1R3, Verdun, Quebec, Canada

    Céline Mercier Ph.D. (Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry of McGill University) & Guylaine Racine B.S.W. (Research Assistant)

Authors
  1. Céline Mercier Ph.D.
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  2. Guylaine Racine B.S.W.
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Additional information

the Department of Psychiatry of McGill University

This study was made possible by a grant from the Quebec Council of Social Research (#RS 1429 M88). We wish to thank the staff of the Maison l'Invitée who participated in the survey. This study owes much to the conscientious work of Research Assistants Suzanne Léonard, Suzanne Gervais and Normand Péladeau. We also wish to thank Cynthia Gates for her editing assistance with regard to the English language.

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Mercier, C., Racine, G. Case management with homeless women: A descriptive study. Community Ment Health J 31, 25–37 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02188978

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