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.
- 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 |
