Perceptions about Homeless Elders and Community Responsibility

Human service students were surveyed (N=207) to determine their perceptions about homeless elders and communal responsibility for their well-being. Using a backward regression analysis, a final model (F=15.617, df=7, p<.001) for Perceptions about Homeless Persons and Community Responsibility (predicted variable) included the predictor variables of Homeless Older Persons Are Afraid and Lonely; Homeless Persons and Health Issues; History of Homeless Older People's Life on the Street; Touching a Homeless Older Person; Hygiene and Homeless Older People; Interest in Working with Elders; and Educational status. The findings indicated that the predictor variables accounted for more than 36% of the variance in Perceptions about Homeless Older Persons and Community Responsibility (R-2=.386; adjusted R-2=.361).