The Subsistence Adaptation of Homeless Mentally Ill Women

This paper explores the day-to-day adaptation of mentally ill women to the rigors of homelessness. The research on which it is based is unique in having collected extensive ethnographic data on the subsistence adaptation of a small yet heterogeneous sample of homeless mentally ill women over the course of more than three years. The subsistence adaptations of these women in a number of areas are described; these include shelter, food, clothing, hygiene, income and money management, safety and victimization, health and health care, social support, and social service utilization. The role of severe mental illness and the long-term effects of homelessness are also examined. Study participants employed a wide variety of strategies in dealing with their living environments, strategies which were at times both functional and adaptive and at times maladaptive and harmful. Homeless mentally ill women are shown to be a heterogeneous group whose lives are marked by recurring and unpredictable change, as are their adaptations to these changes.