The Homeless Outreach Behavioral Screen (HOBS): A Brief Scale for Identifying Need for Mental Health Evaluation Among Unsheltered Populations.

Outreach to individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness is often conducted by specialists lacking mental health training despite the high prevalence of severe mental illness among individuals experiencing homelessness. We developed a novel screener, the Homeless Outreach Behavioral Screen (HOBS), a 4-item scale for use by outreach specialists to identify unsheltered persons who may benefit from referral to specialized mental health services. We describe the participatory development of the HOBS and report on preliminary data from a sample of unsheltered individuals in Los Angeles (n = 649). HOBS items show good internal consistency and reliability (alpha = 0.80). Each additional domain of difficulty scored as present is associated with an 8.7 fold (95% CI: 6.1-13.0) increased odds the individual is appropriate for specialty mental health services. Though further validations studies are needed, the HOBS shows potential to reduce barriers to accessing services for vulnerable individuals.

Duke Scholars

Author Antoine Bailliard Orthopaedic Surgery, Occupational Therapy