To study the role of fathers in the lives of homeless children, a survey was conducted of homeless families in shelters in New York City, capturing profiles of nearly 300 men. The typical father was aged 35, a high school graduate, and not married. The majority spent no time with their homeless children and provided little or no support. In all, two of three fathers provided no financial support, and half of all employed fathers provided no financial support. Over one-third had been violent toward their children or partners, nearly half had spent time in jail, and one of three had a history of substance abuse. Roughly half of these fathers had children with multiple women. Younger men were more likely to be in contact with the mother of their children and were more likely to families may not be the answer to the problems of homeless children. Instead, policymakers must look for nontraditional ways to strengthen nontraditional families. Findings also suggest that intervention may be most successful with younger men. (SLD) (abstract from ERIC)