Helping Homeless

One of the most gut wrenching sights is a child with no place to call home. Imagine a child with no warm bed to sleep in; think of a child that doesn’t even know where the next meal is coming from. This is happening throughout the world, even in affluent countries.

Homeless children are the most vulnerable people in the homeless community and should be the primary focus of efforts to address homelessness.

In helping homeless children it is important to understand the environment in which they live. The homeless lifestyle is stressful and nomadic. Chronically homeless children are often witnesses to, and sometimes victims of, domestic violence, substance abuse, assaults and death. They lead very precarious and chaotic lives and their family life is usually quite dysfunctional.

HOMELESS AMERICA

Even before the financial and home foreclosure crisis hit full stride, the number of homeless children in America had reached an alarming level. The National Center on Family Homelessness released a report in March 2009, which estimates that one in every 50 American children was homeless between 2005 and 2006. That totals roughly 1.5 million kids are homeless in America. While the center provided no previous statistic to compare against that figure, a study conducted with different measures published in 2000 put the total at 1.35 million children living in homelessness each year. Theses statistics are likely to get worse as the economy continues to decline.

HOMELESS STATISTICS

Even though some homeless statistics suggest otherwise, the fact is that families with children comprise roughly one-third of the nation’s homeless population. Poverty continues to be a core reason for the crisis. Although counting the exact number of homeless children is difficult, a consensus is emerging among researchers. According to the homeless statistics of the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1.2 million children are homeless on any given night. Supporting this figure are estimates from the U.S. Department of Education that report almost 400,000 homeless children were served by the nation’s public schools in 2008. Since more than half of all homeless children are under the age of 6, and not yet in school, approximately 800,000 children can be presumed to be homeless. On the basis of this data, the National Center on family Homelessness concludes that more than one million American children are homeless today.
The most proximate cause of homelessness in America is poverty. Statistics show between twenty and thirty percent of homeless families surveyed in 1996 said they had gone without food for part of the previous month. The homeless also face persistent deprivation and constant threat of harm. They spend more time in the hospital and in jail than their poor counterparts. The majority are victims of violent crimes, and one fourth lack needed medical care. Children in homeless families do worse in school and have lower attendance and more long-term absences.

SHELTER CHILDREN

Several hundred thousand Americans do not have a place to call home, and that includes families with children. Each year, approximately 7,000 children and their families find themselves in a desperate enough situation to apply for emergency shelter each year. More than half of all homeless children nationwide are living in doubled-up situations. One-fourth are living in shelters.
Because there are so few shelter beds available, families must go through great lengths to prove they are homeless and most get turned away. Hundreds of children and their families are on a waiting list for shelter at any given time.
Even though the economic situation in the United States is not good, and the unemployment rate is the highest we have seen for a long time, it’s not a reason to quit helping the homeless. The potential for safe and adequate shelter is out there.
Donations and volunteers from the community who want to help are always needed. But it is important to understand what is needed in helping homeless children and their families as well as how to provide it.