roblem of homelessness among children first addresses policies that have affected the development of homeless conditions. Consideration of these policies is followed by an examination of policies designed to provide aid to children in need.
Policies Affecting the Development of Homeless Conditions
Since 1980, homeless children have been emerging rapidly as a new segment of the underclass in the United States (Fox and Roth, 1989, pp. 141-150). This shift towards homelessness among families and children is the direct result of reductions in federal funding for low-income housing (Hayes, 1989, pp. 58-69). The general economic policies initiated during the time of the Reagan Administration also have been a primary cause of the shift of wealth and resources away from poor people, a shift that has exacerbated the problem of homeless children (Hartman, 1990, pp. 483-484). The treatment of poor and homeless children leads to a charge that society in the United States "is guilty of an unconscionable neglect" (Hartman, 1989, p. 483).
Upon entering office, President Reaga
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