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Chapter 3: Homeless Population and Current Service Capacity <br />GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SERVICE DELIVERY <br />In service programs At food sites <br />(ESN, 1994) (Robertson, 1991) <br />Men 54 % 80 % <br />Women 46% 20% <br />The 1996 Continuum of Care survey supports the ESN service numbers, with women <br />and men being evenly represented in the sample. <br />Families- <br />Families account for 30 to 49 percent of the Alameda County homeless population <br />according to local estimates, or 3,600 to 6,060 people at any given time. HomeBase <br />has documented that 15,658 homeless family members in Alameda County received <br />State homeless aid during 1995 (5,219 homeless point-in-time). Moreover, family <br />homelessness is rapidly growing. According to HomeBase, the number of Alameda <br />County homeless families seeking State-funded homeless assistance increased by 82 <br />percent between 1992 and 1994; according to ESN, at least 580 children in families <br />sought homeless services in the first quarter of 1994, an increase of 25 percent from <br />the previous quarter. In the 1996 Continuum of Care survey, 66 people responded that <br />they had children, and of these just a little over half reported having three or more <br />children, though these children were not necessarily living with them. <br />Alcohol or Other Drug- <br />In the 1994 ESN survey, 38 percent of respondents reported having an alcohol or other <br />drug (AOD) problem; 12 percent of respondents identified along-term drug or alcohol <br />problem as the primary cause of their homelessness. The 1991 Robertson survey found <br />that 48 percent of respondents had current AOD problems. A range of 38-48 percent <br />would indicate that 4,560-5,760 homeless people in Alameda County may have AOD <br />problems at any given time. <br />Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 <br />19 <br />