Predictors of Successful Tracking over Time in a Homeless Population

Optimal understanding of the longitudinal course of homelessness requires research methodologies for successful tracking of this difficult-to-follow population (McKenzie et al., 1999). It is important to enroll and retain participants in research populations to be able to generalize findings to the populations they represent. Challenges of tracking marginalized populations over time are well recognized (Bindman, Grumbach, Keane, & Lurie, 1993; Conover et al., 1997; Kleschinsky, Bosworth, Nelson, Walsh, & Shaffer, 2009; Pollio, Thompson, & North, 2000), and tracking is complicated by substance use, psychiatric illness, and socioeconomic deprivation that are inherent in this population (North, Eyrich, Pollio, & Spitznagel, 2004). A recent review by McKenzie, Tulsky, Long, Chesney, and Moss (1999) described 10 strategies for successful tracking of marginalized populations, emphasizing multimodal tracking methods and team organization and training. Three noteworthy studies have obtained successful tracking rates of 75% over 12 months (Wright, Allen, & Devine, 1995), 82% over 24 months (Hough, Tarke, Renker, Shields, & Glatstein, 1996), and 83% over 12 months (Cohen et al., 1993). Conover's group (Conover et al., 1997), following an ethnographic approach, achieved virtually complete follow-up of homeless mentally ill men over 18 months, but this effort was part of a long-term intervention project designed for continuous participant engagement.