The primary purpose of the City of Anaheim's 2007 Homeless Survey was to provide city staff with an opportunity to understand the characteristics of the City's homeless population. Eighty-five homeless Anaheim residents were contacted and interviewed between January 2007 and March 2007. The survey contained several background variables including age, education, ethnicity, familial status, geography-history, health care coverage, income, mental health history, residency, substance abuse history, and veteran status. Using the Social Ecological Model (McLeroy, Bibeau, Steckler, & Glanz, 1989), the purpose of this study was to examine the associations of environmental, organizational, interpersonal, and individual factors with food insecurity. The results of the study indicated that none of the variables representing constructs in the Social Ecological Model were associated with food insecurity. However, several demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, and history of schizophrenia) were associated with food insecurity.

Although the present study was limited in range, the results suggest that a substantial proportion of homeless individuals experience food insecurity and many of them do not utilize government resources. Implications of this study, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.