First published in 1999. This book focuses on the health and health care use of families after they have left the shelter system, with the first three chapters dedicated to a review of relevant literature. The research is based on self-reported data collected during a follow up study of 543 poor New York City mothers who were first interviewed in 1988.

This book offers a new understanding of the relationship between family homelessness and health care use. For the majority of poor families who become homeless, the experience is temporary; yet little is known about these families after they are no longer homeless. Studies have shown that families living in shelters have difficulty accessing mainstream health care providers. This research documents for the first time the barriers these families continue to face after they are no longer homeless.

Providing an overview of the literature on homelessness and health care, this book presents detailed descriptions of health, housing conditions, and family histories. The study is unique in its longitudinal perspective -- mothers were interviewed at the time they were requesting shelter and again four years later. This data was compared to data collected from mothers on welfare who had never been homeless. The author analyzes the differences in health care utilization patterns between formerly homeless families and those who had never used the resources of a shelter, and presents policy recommendations in the context of recent changes in welfare policies and the expansion of Medicaid managed care programs.