Homeless Children in America

John Brecher / msnbc.com

The United States Department of Health and Human Services states that as many as 1.6 million children are considered homeless at some point during the year. This means that they are living in abandoned buildings, motels, shelters, their cars, or they are on the streets.

There are lots of reasons why children become homeless. Two central reasons are lack of affordable housing and poverty, but domestic violence and decrease in government support are also critical factors according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. With unemployment increasing, the number of people that will lose their homes is also going to increase.

Homeless children face mental and physical health problems among the other problems. Homeless children are two times as poor in health as children with homes. The National Coalition for the Homeless states that homeless children have higher rates of ailments such as ear infections, asthma, and stomach problems. They also have three times the rate of behavioral and emotional problems. Most of these children often worry about where they are going to sleep for the night, and whether or not their families will be ok.

Homeless children are faced with so many problems that education is often not at the top of their list. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 87% of homeless youth were enrolled in school, but only about 77% of those students attended class on a regular basis. The main issues for not attending are transportation and access to their previous school records. Most of them don't have access to clothing or school supplies. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network says that those homeless children that attend school are still twice as likely to repeat a grade.

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