Homeless Children in America

Children have never been on out nation’s streets in significant numbers.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1.2 million children are homeless

on any given night. homelessness makes children sick, wounds young children, &

homeless children often struggle in school.

Homeless children are in fair or poor health twice as often as other children. They

have higher rates of low birth weighted need special care right after birth for times as

often as other children. Also have very high rates of acute illness, with half suffering

from two or more symtoms during a single month. Such as ear infections, and stomach

problems. Are more likely to suffer from speech and stammering problems, as well more

likely to be asthmatic. They also go hungry at more then twice the rate of other children.

Each and every day, homeless children are confronted with stressful, often

traumatic events. They worry they will have no place to live, have no place to sleep or

worry that something bad will happen to their family. Mostly all homeless children move

up to three times in a single year. Almost 25% of children have witnessed acts of violence

within their family. Homeless children between the ages of 6 and 17years struggle with

very high rates of mental health. Homeless babies show significantly slower

development than other children . These children are particularly at a hirer risk for

viewing placed in foster care.

Despite state and federal efforts to provide homeless children with improved

access to public school, at least one-fifth of homeless children don’t attend school. This

is because they either have no transportation from the shelters to school or lack of school

and medical records makes registration harder. Daily demands of finding food and

shelter push childrens educational needs aside. If they are able to get to school most face

delayed development and have more educational problems then other children.