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Chapter 3: Homeless Population and Current Service Capacity Other Health Problems- The Robertson survey found that 35% of respondents reported fair to poor health status, and that 21 % reported a chronic, disabling, or trauma condition that limited work. The 1994 ESN survey found that 15 % of respondents were physically disabled. A study in Berkeley found that 51 % of the homeless population in that city had some type of medical problem. Using a range of 15-35 percent, 1,800-4,200 homeless people may have chronic health problems or a physical disability . Domestic Violence- According to the 1994 ESN survey, 21 percent of women surveyed cited domestic violence as their primary reason for becoming homeless. Shelter providers serving women, particularly those located in South and East County, estimate as many as 60 percent of their female clients may be homeless due to domestic violence. Based on these figures, 1,010 women or more may be homeless due to domestic violence at any given time in the county. Many children accompanying these women also become homeless as a result of domestic violence. In the county, 19,733 incidents of domestic violence were reported to police in 1993, although domestic violence shelters estimate there are approximately 245,000 incidents of domestic violence each year in Alameda County. Veterans- Veterans make up a large share of the homeless population. The Robertson survey found that 34 percent of men and women surveyed were veterans. The 1996 survey for this Plan identified 20% of respondents as veterans, although the discrepancy is probably due to an over sampling of women's and family shelters. Nationwide, a 1996 study by the International Union of Gospel Missions found that 34 percent of homeless men seeking shelter were veterans and that seven percent of shelter-seeking women were veterans. Using the 34 percent figure, 4,080 veterans may be homeless in Alameda County at any given time. Many of these suffer post-traumatic stress disorder and may use alcohol or other drugs to "self-medicate" their symptoms. Summary of Homeless Demographics by County Subregion- The following table summarizes the characteristics of the Alameda County homeless population, according to the Robertson data collected at food sites in 1991. This information is broken down by regions within the county. The number of respondents from East County was too small to include. Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 21