WORLD> America
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WORLD> America
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1 in 50 American children experiences homelessness
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-10 15:20 Many homeless families miss out on such support, foregoing shelters because they fear having their children taken from them, said Sandra Wilson of the Arkansas Homeless Coalition. Shelters in Arkansas are funded mostly through private donations, along with some federal money, said Julie Munsell of the state Department of Health and Human Services. There's no state funding, and backers of a bill to create a housing trust fund said they are not sure where the money would come from. In Georgia, one challenge is serving homeless youth who are on their own. "We need to make it safe for kids to ask for help," said Becca Orchard of StandUp for Kids in Atlanta. "The focus is on the homeless adults because we can see them, and they're a nuisance. We can't see the kids, so we don't think they're there." New York was ranked 38th, worst of any northeastern state. According to New York City's Coalition for the Homeless, the number of families in municipal shelters reached a record high at the end of November -- 9,720 families, the most since the city began reporting such data 25 years ago. Among the families in shelters now are Galina and Mark Turner, and their 18-month-old son, Nareem. They were evicted two weeks ago from their apartment, unable to keep up with the rent.
Mark, 27, is jobless, and thus able to take care of Nareem while Galina works as a security guard. "We're trying to hold our heads up and be optimistic," Galina said. The report said homeless children are far more likely than other children to experience hunger, suffer chronic health problems, repeat a grade in school and drop out of high school. It stressed the long-term damage that can result from disruptions to friendships, health care and family routines. "These factors combine to create a life-altering experience that inflicts profound and lasting scars," the report said. It offered 19 recommendations for government action, including beefed-up federal spending on low-income housing, assistance to struggling renters and homeowners, and investment in child care for homeless children. It urged states to place homeless families directly into permanent housing rather than into motels. Ending homelessness for all US children within a decade is possible, despite the recession, said the report, which Bassuk's center issued to launch a campaign pursuing that goal. "If we fail to act," the report said, "the consequences will play out for years to come as a generation of lost children grow to adulthood."
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