Child Homelessness in the United States

Child Homelessness in the United States
 --Elena Rivera

“If you believe that children are the future of our country, then you should be concerned because these homeless children have gradually become a prominent part of a third world that is emerging in our own backyards.” – Ellen Bassuk, president of the National Center on Family Homelessness in Needham, Mass.

Homelessness is a widespread social phenomenon that plagues hundreds upon thousands of citizens within our country every year (National Alliance to End Homelessness [NAEH], 2012).  In recent years, the number of people without a home has slowly begun to increase, despite efforts that are being made by countless of organizations on both the national and local level (Eng, 2012).  While we as a society may have become more accustomed to seeing homeless adults on the streets, there is yet another, more obscure population that is suffering equally: homeless children.  Every year, one out of every 45 children in the United States will experience homelessness, a figure that rounds out to just over 1.6 million in total (Campaign to End Child Homelessness [CECH], 2012).  Although this population is largely hidden from view, their struggles and hardships are just as great, and as such require an equal level of attention and aid.  While awareness for this faction has increased over the years, there is still much to be done in working toward a brighter future for the youth of this country.  As Neil Donovan, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless once put it: “We have many more homeless families than we did before. When you’re an individual and you’re homeless, your homelessness can be very, very difficult. When you’re a family and you’re homeless, it can be impossible.  When a person’s homelessness is impossible, it’s imperative for us to come to their rescue because responsibility is no longer a part of the conversation.”    

What are some of the causes of child homelessness?

Child homelessness, which usually falls under the same umbrella as family homelessness, is a phenomenon that cannot be blamed on one factor and one factor alone.  On the contrary, it is typically a combination of multiple issues, such as poverty, decreased government stipends, decreases in affordable housing, and domestic violence that force a family to leave their home.  (CECH, 2012).  Another factor, and one that has become much more prevalent in recent years, is the increased number of foreclosures that are forcing families to move out of their houses (Eng, 2012).

What are some detriments associated with child homelessness?

Health

The average homeless child will fall ill four times more often that the non-homeless child.

Homeless children are four times more likely to develop asthma and respiratory infections, and five times more likely to have gastrointestinal problems.

Although homeless children will go hungry at a rate that doubles the rate of non-homeless children, this population also has a high rate of obesity.

The rate of emotional and behavioral problems is triple that of non-homeless children.

Homeless children suffer emotional damage, as they feel a great deal of shame and embarrassment for not having a living situation that mirrors that of their peers.

Developmental and Educational Delays

Homeless children are two times more likely to have a learning disability, and four times more likely to show signs of delayed development.

As a population, the majority of homeless children are limited in their proficiencies in math and reading.

Violence

83% of homeless children will have been exposed to a minimum of one “serious violent event” by the age of 12

--Source: The National Center on Family Homelessness. 

What can be done?

An increasing number of organizations and shelters are appearing all over the country, working to aid families in their time of need and thus prevent the number of children living without a home.  One of these organizations is the National Center on Family Homelessness, which works to “[raise] public awareness about the unique needs of homeless families” by “[identifying] strategies that work to prevent and end homelessness, and make these solutions available to frontline providers.”  Another program that has proven invaluable in recent years is the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), a federal organization that, since its first year of operation in 2010, has aided over 700,000 homeless people (Eng, 2012).  Unfortunately, despite its $1.5 billion startup funding, this program has already depleted its resources in many of its key communities, and thus its work has begun to come to somewhat of a standstill (Eng, 2012).  In order to successfully help these children, awareness of their struggles must continue to garner attention.  If not, these children and their families run the risk of being unable to fend for themselves and pull thus pull themselves out of homelessness. 

For an additional perspective on this topic, take a look at the below segment from 60 Minutes:

Questions to consider:
1. How might homelessness affect a child socially?  Would you expect to see differences depending on a child’s age range?  i.e. elementary years versus middle school versus high school?
2. Were you surprised to see the statistics regarding the number of homeless children?  Why or why not?  Is child homelessness an issue you have ever been made aware of in Cambridge or Boston?

3. Do you personally know of any local organizations that cater to this specific population?

Elena Rivera

Katyln Benson

Anjali Lappin

Ronni Greenberg

References:

Campaign to end child homelessness. (n.d.). Campaign to end child homelessness. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/

Children. (n.d.). The national center on family homelessness. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://www.familyhomelessness.org/children.php?p=ts

Eng, J., & News, N. (n.d.). Homeless numbers down, but risks rise - U.S. News. U.S. News. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/18/10177017-homeless numbers-down-but-risks-rise?lite

Liff, S. R. (1996). No place else to go: homeless mothers and their children living in urban shelters. New York: Garland.

The State of Homelessness in America 2012. (n.d.). National alliance to end homelessness. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/the-state-of-homelessness-in-america-2012

What Is Family Homelessness? (The Problem). (n.d.). The national center on family homelessness. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://www.familyhomelessness.org/facts.php?p=tm