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2006-07 Performance Report
Executive Summary

 

 

Homelessness

The psychological – not to mention material – well-being of children is compromised when faced with inadequate housing needs.  Housing problems pose a serious risk for negative child outcomes, including homelessness, overcrowding, poor nutrition, frequent moving, and lack of parental supervision. 

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, family homelessness is increasing.  Emergency shelter requests across the United States have increased every year since 1985, with an average of 20% in 2002.  Furthermore, families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.  Homelessness can provide few, if any, positive outcomes for children.  For example, homeless children get sick twice as often as other children.  Homeless children go hungry twice as often as other children and 25% of homeless children report eating less after becoming homeless.  Homeless children have many more mental health problems than other children.

Homeless children face many problems in school that children with stable home environments don’t have.  For example, many schools do not allow homeless children to register without school and medical records. Other schools will not enroll children without a home address and there is often no transportation available to get children from shelters to school.

According to the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless and their 2007 Annual Point-in-Time survey1:

  • Each week there are an average of 223 first time homeless, of which 39 are children, and 237 previously homeless individuals who have become homeless again, 25 of which are children.
     
  • The survey was conducted on January 29, 2007 and counted 458 homeless families with 870 children under the age of 18.
     
    • For every three homeless children living with a parent, another child has been “farmed out” to live with someone else.
       
    • 41% of homeless people have children under 18, but only 16% have their children with them. 
       
  • In addition to homeless families with children, the survey counted 87 unaccompanied homeless youth.
     
    • 72% were female.
       
    • 53% were in a foster care home before becoming homeless and 62% had been in the foster care system during their youth.
       
    • 21% lived in St. Petersburg and 19% lived in Hillsborough County prior to becoming homeless.
       
    • 49% had been homeless 2-3 times during the prior three years.

1 Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless: http://www.pinellashomeless.org

Read More About It:

This is an article about the homeless county for About Pinellas Kids
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/19/Neighborhoodtimes/Bracing_for_these_sno.shtml

Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless 2007 Survey Data
http://www.pinellashomeless.org/ez375/index.php?/ph/documents/annual_homeless_data/pinellas_homeless_data/2007_survey_data

The Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse Pinellas County Profile
http://flhousingdata.shimberg.ufl.edu/a/profiles?action=results&nid=5200

 The Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse Geographic Search
http://flhousingdata.shimberg.ufl.edu/a/demand


 

 

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JWB Children's Services Council of Pinellas County Florida
6698 68th Avenue North, Suite A, Pinellas Park, Florida  33781-5015, Phone:  727-547-5600, Fax:  727-547-5610