HEALTH CONCERNS OF HOMELESS FAMILIES

An Overview of Homelessness in the US  Families are the new face of homelessness in the US  The US has the largest number of homeless women and children of any industrialized country  41% of homeless people are parents with children and these families are found increasingly in rural and suburban areas as well as urban

Homeless Children  Homeless families comprise 34% of the US homeless population  Nearly 40% of America’s homeless are minors and 42% of them are under 6

Physical Health Concerns  Homeless children are sick 4x as often as other children  They suffer:  4x as many respiratory infections  Twice as many ear infections  5x as many gastrointestinal problems as do other children

Physical Concerns (con’t)  Homeless children are 4x more likely to suffer from asthma than are other kids  They go hungry at twice the rate of other children  Yet ironically, they are also more prone to obesity due to nutritional deficiencies

Emotional/Behavioral Problems  Homeless children have emotional and behavioral problems at a rate three times that of other children  In part, this may be due to the fact that they are significantly more likely to experience violence by age 12 than peers with homes  Nearly 25% have witnessed acts of violence within their families

Personal/Social Concerns  Homeless children are 4x more likely to experience developmental delays than are other kids  They are also twice as likely to have learning disabilities  These delays/disabilities may impact their ability to develop strong peer relationships

Schooling  Homeless children are constantly on the move, which affects if/where they go to school  41% will attend at least two schools in a given academic year; 28% will attend 3 or more  This reduces the likelihood of continuous remediation of problems

Academic Performance  Every school change results in separation and loss and forces homeless children to continually form new friendships  Every change also sets students back 4-6 months academically  Among homeless students in grades 3-12, only 48% were proficient in reading and 43% in math  More than 1 million never graduate

Consequences for Emotional/Social Health  Children with educational delays and learning disabilities are vulnerable to:  Dropping out  Substance abuse  Bullying (as victims and perpetrators)  Poor self-esteem and failure to thrive educationally