Circumstantial Disconnection: Homelessness and Parental Relationships with Children

This article looks at homeless individuals to see how they think their residential situation affects their relationship with their non-homeless children. Using a survey of 75 homeless parents in Houston, Texas this analysis finds that homeless parents of non-homeless children believe that their living situation has a detrimental impact on their relationship with their children. While many respondents felt that they had a good relationship with their children the chances of maintaining a good relationship were less for respondents with adult children than minor children. While a majority of respondents with children felt that finding housing stability would help their relationship with their children, those with minority children were more optimistic that finding a permanent home would help them improve their parent-child relationship than those with older children

Enforcing the Educational Rights of Homeless Children and Youth: Focus on Chicago

The obstacles facing homeless children and youth in securing a "free appropriate public education" are truly daunting. The frequent, often forced mobility of homeless families is a major barrier to maintaining their children's attendance at any particular school. The bureaucratic structure of school systems coupled with the multiple demands placed on the parents of homeless children is an additional--sometimes insurmountable--obstacle to school enrollment and attendance. Equally troubling is the prejudice homeless children and youth face in the systems that serve them; such bias often denies them the choices and opportunities afforded other children. This article is an in-depth look into the struggle to improve educational access for homeless children and youth in Chicago. Because Chicago's school system is both massive and bureaucratic, our hope is that the significant success achieved in Chicago through litigation and advocacy will inspire others to confront and work closely with the schools in their communities

Homeworks: Stable Home + Stable School = Bright Futures

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless surveyed 118 homeless families with school-aged children and found that the experiences of Chicago's homeless students closely mirrored what the national research showed. Surveys were conducted at public schools, shelters, and parks during the summer of 2015. More than 80% of the families interviewed have between 1 and 3 school-aged children and less than 20% have more than three children attending school

Supporting Children who are Homeless in the Classroom

This report addresses the need for classroom teachers to provide additional educational supports to young children who are homeless as they are at risk to face academic and social challenges due to their circumstances at home. This paper defines homelessness, discusses the negative effects of homelessness on the child, notes any present policies in place that address homeless children, highlights the burdens that classroom teachers face, and offers suggestions for these classroom teachers so that they can better educate children who are homeless. Furthermore, a case study of the topic of homelessness in Boston Public Schools has been examined to illustrate how this issue is present in today’s society. Educators from Boston Public Schools discuss their experiences and thoughts on the topic of supporting children who are homeless in their classroom. From their responses, common themes surrounding this topic emerged. This article concludes with addressing the need for school systems to make improvements in the current supports that they have for their students who are homeless. In summary, the findings of this paper suggest that students who are homeless need more access to emotional supports that serve as a foundation for academic supports

Homeless teens and young adults in New Hampshire

More than 1,000 adolescents and young adults in New Hampshire are homeless, and their numbers are growing. The brief, co-published with the Children\u27s Alliance of New Hampshire, provides an estimate of homeless youth in New Hampshire calculated from and state data and describes the needs of homeless youth based on interviews and a survey of providers of homeless services in the state

Unemployment and Family Homelessness The Nation's Crisis, New York City's Experience

The recession has caused rising unemployment, public assistance caseloads, and numbers of homeless families seeking shelter. In New York City, already about 10,200 families and almost 16,000 children reside in shelter. If the city does not rise to the challenge, homeless children will become the newest and most vulnerable victims of the recession

Supportive Housing for Homeless Families: Foster Care Outcomes and Best Practices

Poverty is a well-documented risk factor for family involvement with child protective services and other elements of the child welfare system.Recent studies show that homeless families have higher rates of being involved in the child welfare system than the general population.However, there is little known about how supportive housing programs for homeless families can affect their long-term outcomes.This report describes the outcome evaluation of Cottage Housing Incorporated's Serna Village program in Sacramento, California. Serna Village is a supportive housing program serving homeless families. Outcomes from the program illustrate that it is possible to end recidivism into the child welfare system for homeless families by providing them with permanent housing and comprehensive support services. Although homeless and marginally housed families have high support and case management services can prevent these disenfranchised families from re-entering the foster care system.The intervention of supportive housing -- housing and services focused on the unique needs of adults and their children exiting homelessness -- may break the cycle of abuse and neglect among these families.Conducted in 2011, this study involved a sample of 293 children and youth from approximately 150 families who lived with one or more parents in Cottage Housing Incorporated's Serna Village between 2002 and 2009, thefirst seven years of the program.The findings from this study indicate that comprehensive supportive housing programs following a best-practice model can provide homeless parents and their children with stable living for a significant period of time. Supportive housing programs also may give homeless parents an opportunity to find and maintain employment, work on their education, save a substantial amount of money for move-out costs, learn daily living skills, experience a real-world living situation and prevent re-entry into the child welfare system. The outcomes from this study may help inform policymakers and child welfare administrators with recommendations to better assist marginalized families and save valuable funding dollars

Are California\u27s Homeless Children Being Left behind - Analyzing the Implementation of McKinney-Vento Education Rights in California

The term homeless evokes the image of an individual adult begging for change on a city sidewalk. The growing problem of homeless families, and of homeless children in particular, has not achieved the same level of social consciousness. Perhaps for that reason, the services in place for homeless individuals are not equipped to address the needs of displaced children. Title VII of the federal McKinney-Vento Act addresses the problems homeless children face in attending and succeeding in school. California has similar measures in place. However, the needs of California\u27s homeless children are not adequately met at present. This note exan-mines the sources of family homelessness, and its effect on children. It then explores the provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act and the California measures aimed at education of homeless children. Finally, the note proposes ways to improve the aid homeless children receive and reduce the barriers between them and a quality education

Comparing men's and womens' experiences of multiple exclusion homelessness

This article explores gender as a variable in multiple exclusion homelessness in England. Much past research has taken insufficient account of the gender of homeless people, especially the predominance of men in the single homeless population and of women heading homeless households with dependent children. Drawing on qualitative data generated in a study of multiple exclusion homelessness in London and Nottingham, the article considers three ways in which gender may act as a homelessness variable: in people's susceptibility to homelessness, in their experiences of homelessness and in their encounters with accommodation services. By comparing the accounts of homeless men and women with complex support needs with evidence from staff working for support agencies, the overall aim of the article is to offer a critical examination of the gendered assumptions of homelessness policy and practice