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Interventions for homeless families include subsidized housing, permanent supportive housing, and transitional housing. There are very few studies on any of the interventions, and those that exist are primarily descriptive. Few studies are rigorously designed, most lack comparison groups, and most lack data on children.

One frequent consequence of homelessness among families is separation of children from their parents. In a national survey, 60 percent of homeless women and 41 percent of homeless men had at least one minor child, but only 39 percent of women and 3 percent of men lived with any children (Burt et al., 1999). Some separations occur in shelter system

Problems of children living in homeless shelters may diminish over time. Buckner, Bassuk, Weinreb, and Brooks (1999) found in a cross-sectional analysis that children’s psychiatric symptoms peaked after about four months in shelter; thereafter, children seemed to adapt to the shelter environment. One to two years after living in shelter, the ini

Huntington, Buckner, and Bassuk (2008) found that homeless children in Worcester, Massachusetts, could be classified into two distinctly different subgroups based on measures of behavior problems, adaptive functioning, and academic achievement, using cluster analysis. Almost half of the sample was doing well across each of these domains, despite t

Nine studies reviewed by Buckner (2005, 2008) examined attendance, achievement, and other academic outcomes for homeless children using a variety of measures (Table 2 Part D). All but one study found homeless children worse off than general population samples; and six of seven studies found them worse off than housed children. The one study that f

As shown in Table 2 Part C, 11 studies reviewed by Buckner (2005, 2008) examined children’s mental health and behavior. Nine studies used maternal reports of both internalizing symptoms (such as depression and anxiety) and externalizing symptoms (disruptive behavior) on the Child Behavior Checklist. Six studies additionally used child reports of

As shown in Table 2 Part A, five studies of children’s health produced results consistent with the idea of a continuum of risk. Three studies found homeless children worse off than other poor children, who in turn were worse off than the general population, typically on measures of global health. A fourth, which did not include a poor-housed com

As noted above, according to AHAR, just over half (51 percent) of homeless children in emergency shelters and transitional housing were under 6 years of age in 2008, 34 percent were 6 to 12, while only 15 percent were 13 to 17. Slightly over half (51 percent) were Black or African American; 24 percent were White, non-Hispanic or Latino; 13 percent

Beginning with the earliest published reports in 1987, the literature on homeless children now spans about 23 years. Viewing these studies in the aggregate, a set of “first generation” studies, many of which were reviewed 15 years ago by Rafferty and Shinn (1991), can be distinguished from a second stage of investigations published after the r

Evidence is surfacing that the current economic and foreclosure crisis has led to an increase in the number of homeless children. We know from prior research that family homelessness is more sensitive to economic cycles than individual homelessness (Culhane et al., 2003).

This section describes the rise of homelessness generally and in families with children specifically. Contextual factors include changes in poverty, fluctuations in the availability of low-income housing, and the recent recession and foreclosure crisis.

Data on the numbers of children and youth who are enrolled in school and homeless under the ED definition are collected by State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) under the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program and collated by the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) (2009). In the 2007–08

HUD’s most recent counts of homeless children are summarized in the 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) released July 2009, which includes a count of children residing in HUD-funded shelters and transitional housing. The report includes information about point-in-time counts as well as an annual count reflecting the 12-month period O

Definitions of homelessness pertaining to families differ, depending upon whether HUD’s or the Department of Education (ED) McKinney-Vento criteria are being used. The HUD definition of homelessness (below) is used to determine qualification for participation in HUD programs. It does not include individuals living doubled-up or in hotels/mot

This paper provides an update on the research, policy, laws, and funding for programs and services for children who are homeless in the United States. Education, health, and mental health for homeless children are examined. “Homeless children” here refers to minor children accompanying their parent(s)/guardian(s) during a homeless episode. Una

Miriam King, Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Sarah Flood, Katie Genadek, Matthew B. Schroeder, Brandon Trampe, and Rebecca Vick (2010). Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: Version 3.0. [Machine-readable database]. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota. Short, Kathleen S. (2012). The Research Supplemental

Any Health Coverage 82.9% 88.7% 83.8% 84.9% 83.1% Sample Size N = 7,666 N = 4,286 N = 1,828 N = 11,952 N = 9,494 Private Health Coverage 16.7% 15.9% 51.4% 16.4% 22.9% Public Health Coverage 70.5% 80.0% 40.4%

Description Core Poor Lifted Out Thrown In OPM Poor SPM Poor Sample Size N = 7,666 N = 4,286 N = 1,828 N = 11,952 N = 9,494 Mean MOOP $1,782 $1,268 $9,237 $1,594 $3,070 Median MOOP $385 $423 $4,750