Abstract
Homelessness is a devastating experience for children and their families. Families, the majority of whose members are children, now comprise more than one-third of the overall US homeless population. Most of these children are less than six years old. Various assumptions have driven policy and the allocation of resources to programs serving these families. Although decades of research and field experience suggest strategies for preventing and reducing this problem, perspectives differ, hindering the development of effective solutions. In this article, we explore some of these assumptions, including (a) definitions of homelessness used to count the numbers of families and determine resource allocation, (b) the needs of children and responses to the impact of adverse childhood experiences, and (c) whether services matter and should be integrated with affordable housing. We conclude by suggesting various directions to ensure that these children are protected and have the opportunity to grow and thrive.
Highlights
Homelessness has emerged as one of the most pressing public health problems in the United States
The families are largely composed of single mothers in their 20s with vulnerable young children, half of whom are under the age of six [6, 10, 30]. Structural problems underlie this growing social tragedy, including the nation’s lack of decent affordable housing, the scarcity of housing vouchers, and difficulties with earning sufficient wages to meet the high cost of housing [47, 52, 71]
The steps involve assessing parents and children, determining resources and staff capacity, training shelter teams about the children’s developmental needs and the nature of traumatic stress, implementing organizational trauma-informed care, and mobilizing parenting supports adapted from the evidence-based home-visiting models
Summary
Child development, adverse childhood experiences, ACEs, trauma, systems change
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