CHILDREN OF THE HOMELESS IN AMERICA

Changing economic conditions in the 1980s brought a dramatic rise in the number of homeless people. As the homeless population grew, it also changed. Women, children, and entire families found themselves without housing and began to appear at emergency shelters. The National Coalition for the Homeless estimated that the homeless population grew by an alarming 25 percent in 1986, and "that families with children represented the fastest growing segment within the homeless population" (Congressional Quarterly Almanac 508).

Various other studies resulted in similar findings. In 1987, the U.S. Conference of Mayors conducted surveys in 26 major American cities and found that families with young children made

up over a third of the homeless. A separate study by the Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless concluded that the fastest growing group among the homeless were children under the age of

. . .
ping a residence disqualified applicants for benefits which were perceived as being essential to survival, even more essential than keeping a job or a home. The growing numbers of homeless families with children began taking refuge in cars, private garages, and the various emergency centers for the homeless in inner cities. The plight of the homeless children poses some very special concerns over their development. Not having a permanent home can be a traumatic experience for children and adolescents. Homeless children between the ages of six and eighteen miss periods of schooling, especially if they have relocated out of their school districts in pursuit of shelter. Those that continue to attend classes, regularly or intermittently, must cope with special burdens - how does one do homework and keep up with reading assignments in the back seat of an automobile, or in an overcrowded emergency shelter? Finally, there is the impression that homelessness leaves on perceptions about self, family, society, and opportunities to make a living in the future. The existence of homeless families with children is an alarming trend in itself, but under the surface lies another harsh reality - millions of additional children are left un
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Approximate Word count = 1619
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)