Deanna Ceccoli (Edison) Children Homeless in the US

5. March 2010 by student.

In our economy today, so many different people are afraid of loosing their job or their home. Homelessness is a well-known word and people will witness homelessness at least once in their lifetime. What many people don’t realize is that children make up a big chunk of the percentages. Just a couple days ago CNN reported that 1 in 50 children become homeless in the United States every year.According to the Stewart B. McKinney Act, a person is considered homeless who “lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence; and… has a primary night time residency that is: (A) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations… (B) An institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or (C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.”According to National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, in 2006, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population. Out of these children, 42% were under the age of five. This same study found that unaccompanied minors comprised 5% of the urban homeless population. In other cities and especially in rural areas, the numbers of children experiencing homelessness are much higher.  According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, in 2007, 25% of homeless were ages 25 to 34; the same study found percentages of homeless persons aged 55 to 64 at 6%.”These numbers will grow as home foreclosures continue to rise,” Ellen Bassuk, president of the center, said in a statement. Homeless children have poor health, emotional problems and low graduation rates, the study found. ”The consequences to our society will play out for decades,” Bassuk said. “As we bail out the rest of our nation, it is also time to come to their aid.”

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