Child Homelessness- Long Post

Homelessness and Children

On the outside, Nicholas looks like your typical 9-year-old. He wears a bright orange Hot Wheels shirt, and proudly displays the fading temporary tattoo of a motorcycle on his left arm. But ask him about his childhood, and the bubbly personality is lost to silence. Until recently, Nicholas lived on the streets of Denver with his mother. Life consisted of dumpster diving and looking for aluminum cans to turn in for nickels. And while this seems bad, in many ways Nicholas is lucky. His story is much brighter than that of the average homeless child, and with the American economy still in a deep recession, more and more children must face the hardships of a life on the street.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy priorities, the number of Americans in “deep poverty” has risen by 4.5 percent (approximately 6.3 million people) since 2009. This means that approximately 1.1 million families were at risk of becoming homeless, and the numbers continue to rise.

“Currently, about 1 in 50 children are homeless,” Christina Murphy, Director of the Campaign to End Child Homelessness said. “That’s almost 2 million kids who are at risk of mental and physical health problems.”

The effects of homelessness begin in infancy. Children born into homelessness are more likely to have lower birth rates, and are four times as likely to be born with heart and respiratory defects. Additionally, 40 percent of homeless mothers are substance abusers. This means their babies may be born addicted to cocaine or other drugs, and may have physical and mental disabilities due to exposure to alcohol. Since drugs remain in the circulation system of an infant much longer than an adult, the addicted babies will suffer through withdrawals more intense than an adult addict’s, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

“I have had babies come to our shelter that must be immediately transferred to a hospital because they have things like severe muscle spasms, diarrhea, and even seizure –like withdrawals,” Amber Callender, Executive Director of The Denver Road House, a 90-day shelter, said. “It’s terrible to think about the babies who don’t have access to hospital care, and must go it alone.”

If a homeless child survives infancy, every year it spends on the streets can lead to more psychological and physical hardships. The state of Colorado is ranked 35^th in the nation for child homelessness, with 38 percent of children living on the street. Colorado’s homeless children face additional hardships because of the harsh weather conditions in the winter.

“When it’s snowing outside the Denver homeless shelters see a surplus of people and since it’s first come first serve, many must be turned back to the streets even if we surpass shelter capacity,” Jamie Glennon, Public Relations Specialist at The Denver Road House, said.

No shelter means no food in many circumstances, and more than one-third of homeless children are forced to skip at least one meal a day, according to the Campaign to End Child Homelessness.  Since 2008, as a response to the recession, the demand for food aid has risen from 20 percent to 40 percent, forcing many shelters to turn away hungry children. Additionally, the child population receives little to no education, and as a result the proficiency rates for homeless children in reading and math fall 16 percent lower than other students. This is a problem because homeless children who do not receive a high school diploma are more likely to continue living in poverty when they themselves have children. 82 percent of homeless children come from families where neither parent has a high school diploma, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness.

“It’s this vicious cycle,” Murphy said. “A child grows up on the streets, and then they have children who grow up on the streets, and this pattern means that gradually the homeless population will increase in size and affect their access to shelters and resources.”

In order to combat this cycle, many organizations in Colorado and nationwide are developing programs that offer housing options and financial aid to homeless families. Obama’s 2009 approval of the FY12 budget proposal has been a huge step forward in the campaign to end child homelessness, because it will allot $1 billion to the National Housing Trust Fund. This funding will support a two-year plan to build rental homes for low-income households using environmentally conscious building materials.

If passed, the Emergency Shelter Grant, which is currently being reviewed by congress, would provide $2 billion to prevent low-income households from losing their homes. Funds would also “re-house” those that have lost their homes as a result of the economic recession.  Approximately 400,000 households would benefit from this grant, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness.

In 2003, The Denver Road House collaborated with homeless individuals, city council, local businesses, nonprofits and neighborhood organizations to address homelessness in the Denver metro area. The goal was to create a ten-year plan that would provide financial and legal assistance so that local homelessness would no longer exist. So far, the organization has developed almost 2,000 new housing developments for the homeless population, and has employed 5,253 homeless individuals.

“It’s not enough to just give them jobs though, we really wanted to make sure they were prepared to financially support their children in the long run,” Callender said.

Therefore the Denver Road House offers a free financial counseling course, which teaches homeless families how to manage their money and budget for the needs of their children.  Similar programs have been launched in New Mexico and Kansas at their local shelters. While these types of programs benefit children in the long run, there are other organizations that cater specifically to the emotional well being of the homeless children.

One example is Birthday Smiles, a local non-profit organization that throws birthday parties once a month for the children who live at The Samaritan House in Denver. 

“I thought about how important birthday parties were to my children and wanted to make sure every child that we could reach felt as special for a day,” Risë Justice, founder of Birthday Smiles, said.

Birthday Smiles began hosting parties in July of 2009, and has since hosted a birthday party every month, plus a Halloween party. Local donations, combined with money Justice takes out of pocket, provide each birthday boy or girl with $50 worth of presents, plus cupcakes and ice cream. The families of the children receive “points” which they can eventually exchange for things like diapers and school supplies.

Justice originally got the idea from the Massachusetts-based Birthday Wishes, a large-scale birthday program that has branches in New York, California, and Maryland. They also recently opened up a branch in Kentucky, ranked 42^nd in the nation with almost half of the entire child population labeled as homeless. 

“The reaction has been what keeps us inspired,” Lisa Kutner, Fundraising Coordinator for Birthday Smiles, said. “Parents have come up to me constantly to thank us for helping to give their children something they were not able to afford at this time.”

Nicholas is one of two children who celebrated his birthday at the Samaritan House this month. With wide eyes he tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a bright red, remote controlled monster truck (his favorite color), and six different Lego sets. He is quick to share his new toys with the other children in the room “so everyone can have fun,” he says.  With the help of the Samaritan House, Nicholas attends the local public school every weekday, and the financial classes have helped his mother learn how to start a college savings account for his future.

“I can't think of one night that I have not been able to pull up the memory of a special child that puts a smile on my face before I fall asleep each and every night,” Justice said. “Maybe when those children grow up, they will look back at this experience, smile, and give back.”