SUBSISTENCE ADAPTATION AMONG HOMELESS ADULTS IN THE INNER-CITY OF LOS-ANGELES

This article describes the subsistence‐related activities of homeless adults in Los Angeles' downtown area, and examines whether homeless people with chronic disorders such as major mental illness and/or substance abuse differ from those with no chronic disorder in their subsistence adaptation. Findings indicate that homeless people use multiple resources over short periods of time. While minor differences between those with and without disorders were apparent, the general lack of differences between these two groups was most striking, suggesting the leveling quality of homelessness. Differences between individuals with various chronic disorders indicated that those with chronic substance abuse, and particularly those with both substance abuse and chronic mental illness, were most distinctive in their adaptation. 1990 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues