The National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH) Report: America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness provides a comprehensive snapshot of child homelessness in the US today. The report describes the status of homeless children in four areas: extent of child homelessness, child well-being, structural risk factors, and state-by-state policy and planning efforts.
Unfortunately, many experts expect the problem to get worse before it gets better. The effects of the economic downturn – including increasing numbers of foreclosures, job losses, rising food and fuel prices, and inadequate supplies of low-cost housing – will surely add to the numbers of children and families among the ranks of the homeless.
Homelessness Makes Children Hungry and Sick, Underachieve in School
According to the study, children without homes are twice as likely to experience hunger as other children; two-thirds worry they won’t have enough to eat; more than one-third report being forced to skip meals.
Children who experience homelessness are more than twice as likely as middle class children to have moderate to severe acute and chronic health problems.
They are also twice as likely as other children to repeat a grade in school, to be expelled or suspended, and to drop out of high school prior to graduating. At the end of high school, few homeless students are proficient in reading and math. Their estimated graduation rate is below 25%.
Who are Homeless Children?
Children make up about 27% of the overall homeless population, according to recent estimates. Families with children are now the fastest growing homeless sub-group. They account for about 40% of the people who become homeless each year. About 50% of America’s homeless women and children are running from domestic abuse.
Not only do homeless children lack basic shelter, but they also suffer from a lack of safety, comfort, privacy, a sense of routine and normalcy, adequate health care, sustaining relationships, and a sense of community. These factors combine to create a life-altering experience that inflicts profound and lasting scars.
Ultimately, homelessness is a death sentence: the average age of death for individuals living without shelter is 48 years (about a 30-year shorter life expectancy than the average American).
Solutions to Crisis of Child Homelessness Exist
The worst of the crisis is isolated to a few states. During 2005-2006, 75% of America’s identified homeless children lived in 11 states. At least six states have created extensive plans to combat child homelessness, and a dozen additional states have done significant planning.
The report suggests that it is possible to “end child homelessness within a decade” with dedicated funds from local, state and federal governments that are combined with reallocated dollars.
“Ending homelessness for children in the US is possible if a concerted effort is made,” according to the report.
“If we fail to act, the consequences will play out for years to come as a generation of lost children grow to adulthood.”
Resource:
National Center on Family Homelessness
Stephen Raburn - Stephen Raburn… is a social entrepreneur, father, community galvanizer, activist, lobbyist, writer, lecturer, and champion of ...
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