One Night Count:
- 2,922 members of homeless families with
children
- People in families represent 50% of all individuals
in the One Night Count Survey
Poverty is the root cause of homelessness for this
population. Homeless families endure a high degree of stress
while without a stable housing base. It has been found that
the average amount of time it takes a homeless family to
secure stable housing is 6-10 months while the average
shelter stay is 2-3 months.
The implication is that
shorter-term programs may need to expand length of stay in
order to produce stronger long-term outcomes.
Family size and/or
composition are potential barriers to services. In some
cases, families are required to split-up because shelters
may not support a family composition. In the 23-city survey,
55% of the cities reported that homeless families may have
to split-up in order to receive accommodations in their
shelter programs. Some
programs do not have the capacity to serve large,
multi-generational families, so accessing shelter services
is challenging. Some shelters allow teen boys, while some
limit the age for accepting boys.
Several shelters allow
2-parent or coupled households, while others in King County
will only accept a single-parent, or single, female-headed
household. Some programs do not serve sexual minorities or
alternative household compositions such as
inter-generational extended families. These gaps in services,
as well as the stressful impact on affected families, are
considerations for future planning efforts.
Causes of Family Homelessness
Homeless families might be categorized as the “working poor”
and literally live one paycheck away from homelessness. A
number of jobs, particularly service sector jobs, do not
generally pay enough to sustain a family given the local
cost of living.
There are a number of issues that may
precipitate a family becoming homeless: healthcare or
childcare emergencies, domestic violence, job loss,
evictions or displacement from their homes due to
gentrification or condo conversions. These are a few of the
reasons commonly cited by families for homelessness.
Once families are homeless, it becomes even more
difficult to find and secure housing due to declining
livable wages compared with the increasing cost of living, a
decreasing supply of rental housing, credit barriers, and
high move-in costs.
The most compelling research identifies lack of affordable
housing as the primary cause of homelessness among families
in the United States.
Effect of Homelessness on Children
Homelessness undoubtedly affects children. Poverty and
homelessness have potentially devastating long term effects
on every facet of a child’s life, with strong statistical
potential to inhibit physical, emotional, cognitive, social,
and behavioral development. Children may have to leave
neighborhoods where they have established friendships as
well as possibly leaving schools they are accustomed to.
Education of Homeless Children
Although the federal McKinney-Vento Act includes
protections for the right of youth to attend the same school
that they did when the family first became homeless, it can
be challenging for school districts to carry-out this law
because of budget shortages. Nevertheless, transportation
must be coordinated if a youth and/or parent chooses, under
federal law.
Another aspect to the Act is that homeless
preschoolers are entitled to receive a free and appropriate
public preschool education. Overall, the McKinney-Vento Act
has given parents of homeless children, as well as youth, a
choice and a voice regarding access to education.
Nevertheless, homeless children are still twice as likely to
repeat a grade, and nearly 30% go to 3 or more schools a
year.
