• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Homelessness and its Effects on Children FAMILY HOUSING FUND A Report Prepared for the Family Housing Fund December 1999 By Ellen Hart-Shegos Hart-Shegos and Associates, Inc. Editor: Anne Ray Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary — Homelessness and its Effects on Children …………………………………2 2. Homelessness and its Effects on Early Childhood Development ……………………………4 3. Homelessness and its Effects on School Age Children ………………………………………6 4. The Effects of Homelessness can be Minimized — Maybe Even Reversed ………………………10 5. Endnotes ……………………………………………………12 1 1Executive Summary Homeless children Homelessness influences every facet of a Preschoolers child’s life — from conception to young are not simply adulthood. The experience of homelessness Young children who are homeless are often inhibits the physical, emotional, cognitive, separated from their parents, which can cause at risk; most suffer social, and behavioral development of children. long-term negative effects. Homeless pre- school age children also are more likely to specific physical, experience major developmental delays and to suffer from emotional problems. Despite these psychological, and Homelessness and its developmental delays and emotional difficulties, homeless preschoolers receive emotional damage. Effects on Early fewer services than other children their age. Childhood Development Homelessness and its Effects Before Birth on School Age Children The impact of homelessness begins well before a child is born. The overwhelming By the time homeless children reach school majority of homeless parents are single age, their homelessness affects their social, women, many of whom were homeless physical, and academic lives. Homeless themselves as children. Homeless women face children are not simply at risk; most suffer many obstacles to healthy pregnancies, such specific physical, psychological, and as chemical abuse, chronic and acute health emotional damage due to the circumstances problems, and lack of prenatal care. that accompany episodes of homelessness. Infants Physical Health Children born into homelessness are more In general, homeless children consistently likely to have low birth weights and are at exhibit more health problems than housed greater risk of death. Homelessness also poor children. Environmental factors exposes infants to environmental factors that contribute to homeless children’s poor health, can endanger their health. Because homeless and homeless children are at high risk for families often have little access to health care, infectious disease. Homeless children are at many homeless infants lack essential greater risk for asthma and lead poisoning, immunizations. often with more severe symptoms than housed children. Poor nutrition also contributes to Toddlers homeless children’s poor health, causing increased rates of stunted growth and anemia. Homeless children begin to demonstrate Despite these widespread health problems, significant developmental delays after 18 homeless children generally lack access to months of age, which are believed to influence consistent health care, and this lack of care can later behavioral and emotional problems. increase severity of illness. 2 The Effects of Homelessness With early and can be Minimized — Maybe consistent Even Reversed intervention, While research on homeless children paints an children can overwhelmingly bleak picture of their current and future status, there is hope that with early overcome many and consistent intervention strategies, children can learn to overcome many of the of the effects detrimental effects of their poverty and homeless experiences. One set of strategies is of poverty and to ensure priority access for homeless families Emotional and Behavioral Development: for services that can mitigate the effects of homelessness. homelessness, such as supportive housing, Homeless children are confronted with drug and alcohol treatment, parenting support, stressful and traumatic events that they often afterschool programs, and nutritional support. are too young to understand, leading to severe A second set of strategies can be employed by emotional distress. Homeless children emergency and supportive housing providers experience stress through constant changes, to assist their residents, including obtaining which accumulate with time. These stressful health screenings and prenatal care for changes result in a higher incidence of mental women, assisting families in obtaining health disorders, which become manifested in and nutrition information, assessing and homeless children’s behavior. Despite monitoring children’s development, and significantly more incidences of mental assisting children and parents in participating illness, less than one-third of these children in school activities. receive professional help. These interventions give young children who Academic Development: have experienced the traumatic effects of homelessness the chance to build the Homeless children’s academic performance resiliency and competence they need to break is hampered both by their poor cognitive the detrimental cycle of homelessness. development and by the circumstances of their homelessness, such as constant mobility. Homeless children are more likely to score poorly on math, reading, spelling, and vocabulary tests and are more likely to be held back a year in school. As with physical and mental health care, homeless children’s greater needs do not lead to greater access to special services. 3 Homelessness and Its Effects on 2Early Childhood Development The impact of Homelessness influences every facet of a Homeless women face many obstacles to child’s life — from conception to young healthy pregnancies. First, many homeless homelessness adulthood. A review of a well-established women abuse alcohol or chemicals. Service body of research on childhood homelessness providers report a 40 percent substance use begins well before reveals a profound and accumulative negative rate among women in their programs, with effect on the development of children, leading approximately one-fifth of homeless women a child is born. many to repeat the cycle of homelessness as disclosing drug and alcohol abuse during adults. Homelessness inhibits the physical, pregnancy. There is overwhelming evidence emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioral that chemical abuse harms prenatal development of children. development and later cognitive and behavioral development of children. Second, homeless women tend to suffer from chronic Before Birth and acute health problems that can affect the prenatal development of their children.3 The impact of homelessness begins well Finally, homeless women are less likely to before a child is born. Homeless parents seek prenatal care. Fifty percent of homeless generally have had difficult starts in life. The women versus 15 percent of the general overwhelming majority of homeless parents population had not had a prenatal visit in the are single female heads of households, many first trimester of pregnancy. Forty-eight of whom were homeless themselves as percent of homeless women had not received children and had lived in emergency shelters.1 medical assessment of their pregnancy before Many of these parents were displaced as being admitted to the shelter. children from their families of origin, with nearly a quarter having lived in foster care.2 Infancy Today’s homeless parent is likely to be a young woman in her twenties who gave birth Children born into homelessness are more to her first child in her teens. She is likely to likely to have low birth weights. A child with have never been married, have had multiple a low birth weight and whose mother did not pregnancies resulting in at least two children receive prenatal care is nine times more likely under the age of six, have had an incomplete to die in the first 12 months of life. These education, and have never been employed. risks are multiplied if the mother also abused Many homeless parents have experienced drugs and/or alcohol.4 physical and sexual abuse, constant crisis, family and community violence, isolation, Homelessness also exposes infants to and the cumulative stress of persistent poverty. environmental factors that can endanger their Nearly a third of all homeless women have health. Homeless women with infants often been diagnosed and hospitalized for mental are forced to return to a shelter or an illnesses, such as depression. Despite these overcrowded home of a family member or difficult circumstances, however, pregnancy friend after the birth. Overcrowded conditions rates among homeless women are high. expose babies to disease and illness, maternal Nationally, 35 percent of women coming into shelters are pregnant versus 6 percent of the general population, and 26 percent have given birth within a year of seeking shelter. 4 stress, lack of sanitation, lack of refrigeration Homeless pre-school age children are likely to Homeless and sterilization for formula, and lack of a demonstrate developmental delays. Most routine. The difficult surroundings often affects homeless children (75 percent) under age five preschool age the mother’s feelings of adequacy and can have at least one major developmental delay interfere with critical maternal-child bonding.5 or deviation, primarily in the areas of children are impulsivity or speech.8 Even more alarming, Finally, homeless families often have little nearly half of homeless children (44 percent) likely to access to health care. Research indicates that have two or more major developmental

Load more

  16

Copy Link