Being Homeless Essay

Effects of Being Homeless on Children
It is logical that there are numerous health, nutritional, developmental, and psychological problems that are associated with being homeless as a youth. Health problems start even before birth if a mother is homeless and pregnant then her baby is more likely to be born with a lower birth weight than compared to normal children (Rafferty, Y., & Shinn, M., 1991). Children who are born into homelessness have higher death rates (1991). This could be due to the lack of prenatal care for homeless pregnant women. Furthermore, homeless children are more likely to have “upper respiratory infections, minor skin ailments ear disorders chronic physical disorders and gastrointestinal disorders” (Rafferty, Y., & Shinn,

I can relate to this issue due to the fact when I was homeless I rarely visited the doctors and never visited the dentist until I was in third grade. Homeless adolescents’ health issue can be explained by the fact that they rarely get their immunizations and have nutritional deficiencies. Lack of food and poor nutrition is a common characteristic of homeless youth (1991). It is difficult to preserve food when one “lacks a refrigerator” or stove to cook and keep the food safe for consumption. Growing up homeless hinders the ability to eat nutritional food regularly. Personally, when I was homeless my family relied on fast food and during the times we lived in a hotel we would usually eat frozen dinners since they were easily prepared in the microwave. The article “The Impact of Homelessness on Children” describes how children usually “felt hungrier” than they previous had been before becoming homeless. This is most likely due to eating “less food and food that is less quality” (1991). Beyond physical malnutrition, you can see mental impacts on homeless children. Many homeless youths go through behavioral changes the most frequents ones observed “were increased acting out, fighting,