EACH YEAR, Over In 50 (OVER 1.5 MILLION) Of Our Nation's Children Go To Sleep Without A Home

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/documents/rc_summary.pdf

A storm is moving across the country, sweeping families out of homes and workers out of jobs. At
least two million Americans are likely to face home foreclosures in the foreseeable future. Job cuts
will have the gravest impact on those struggling to survive – low-income parents with children.
Not since the Great Depression have so many children stood in the sight lines of homelessness.
America’s Youngest Outcasts demonstrates the connection between poverty and family homelessness.
More than 1.5 million American children already stand at the grim nexus of poverty, the
economic downturn, the housing crisis, and homelessness. This is shocking and contrary to the
spirit of international law. The 25th Article of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,
ratified in 1948, declared that “everyone has the right to housing.”1 Failure to house one child for
even one day represents an unacceptable societal failing.

Approximately 2.3 to 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness at least once a year.2 Those
working in the field of homelessness have divided people experiencing homelessness into three
groups: single adults, a subset of whom are referred to as “chronically homeless”; unaccompanied
youth (e.g., runaway, throwaway or homeless youth); and families with children in tow. For the
sake of clarity, this report is specifically about the latter group. Families with children comprise
34% of the homeless population,3 and this number is growing.

Within a single year, nearly all (97%) homeless children have moved,4 at least 25% have witnessed
violence,5 and 22% have been separated from their families.4 About half of all school-age children
experiencing homelessness have problems with anxiety and depression,4 and 20% of homeless
preschoolers have emotional problems that require professional care.4 Their education is often
disrupted and challenges in school are common.


Dedicated to my partner and other teachers who try to bring some normalcy to these kids' lives.

[Wilms]

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