Community Member Groups & Service Utilization

As described in Section Two, some community members are more likely to use services than others; and in Durham, community members that use drugs or have mental illnesses are more likely to use available services. Some community members will not go to shelters or kitchens because of this group; therefore, service agencies often do not reach the rest of the population. Service agencies must use their limited resources to address the concerns of the people that do come, because of the stipulations placed on grants to only offer services that appear most necessary. Further, service agencies use word of mouth to inform community members of their services, continuing to draw the same groups of people and may rarely see or interact with more independent community members.

Homelessness and Identity

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Alone: Consequences for Information Support