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Homeless Children Roundtable. Conference Page

On May 18, 2010, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services convened a Roundtable on Homeless Children.  The purpose of the Roundtable was to understand the impact of homelessness on children, identify the resources currently available to address the needs of homeless children, and discuss opportunities for coordination.  While other meetings have focused on the adults in homeless families, the Roundtable focused specifically on the children in families that are experiencing homelessness.

A diverse group of policy experts, researchers, practitioners, and federal agency staff were invited to:

  • Review the latest research on homeless children;
  • Discuss the impact of the current recession on the number and condition of homeless children;
  • Assess the range of services currently available to homeless children; and
  • Strategize for an improved response to children experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.

Available documents:

  • Homeless Children:  Update on Research, Policy, Programs, and Opportunities, a background paper prepared and circulated to attendees prior to the Roundtable to help shape the discussion by summarizing what is known about homeless children and effective strategies and programs to assist them.  The summary of the research literature was prepared by three researchers:  Judith Samuels from The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine; Marybeth Shinn from Department of Human and Organizational Behavior, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University; and John Buckner of Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School.
  • A discussion synthesis provides an overview of the Roundtable and discussion themes from the meeting, including the nature of homelessness among children, areas of collaboration, current issues, and areas for future consideration and exploration.  It also includes the Roundtable attendees and the Agenda of the day-long meeting.  The discussion synthesis was prepared by Margaret Lassiter and Deborah Dennis from Policy Research Associates, Inc.