Worcester Family Research Project: Baseline Data, 1992-1995

These data were collected in order to gather comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data on homeless families and a low-income housed comparison group. The major goal was to gain knowledge about the risk factors for homelessness and its impact on the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children. This is the baseline component of an ongoing longitudinal study of homeless and low-income housed women in Worcester, Massachusetts. Between August 1992 and July 1995, 220 female-headed homeless families (220 mothers and 350 homeless children) and 216 female-headed housed families on AFDC (216 women and 350 children) were enrolled in the study. The families were 36% Puerto Rican, 35% White, 12.4% African American, 6% other Latina, and the remainder were of mixed ethnicity. Data from the mothers were collected over four sessions, which lasted a total of approximately 10 hours. The data included demographics, information on housing, income, education, jobs, family structure, life events, service utilization, personal network, social resources, history of sexual or violent assault, mental health and substance disorders, and health status. Each child was also directly assessed using a battery of developmentally appropriate instruments and questions. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (paper data from the baseline study). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data