Stress & Resiliency Book Notes:Chapter 15: Homeless Families:• Historically, homeless persons were primarily men who were invisible to most Americans because they generally lived in “Skid Row” areas. • By the early 1980’s, the homeless population in the United States increasingly included single women and families with children• During the 1990’s families headed by single women were the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population What is Homelessness?o Steward B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (1987) Official definition of homelessness:• “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; who has a primary nighttime residence that is either a supervised public or private shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations; an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings Definition leaves room for varying judgments regarding the meaning of a regular and adequate residence The lack of specificity in the definition of homelessness is one reason why it is so difficult to get an accurate picture of homelessness in the United StatesHow Many Homeless People are there:o Most cases of homelessness are temporary situations o A more accurate measure of homelessness is the number of individuals and families who experience homelessness over time as well as the proportion of the U.S. population that has ever experienced homelessnesso National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC) Most recent comprehensive study of homelessness j1 Study indicated that on any given day, at least 800,000,000 people were homeless in the United States, including about 200,000 children in homeless families  34% of all homeless service users were members of homeless families• 23% were minor children (under 18)• 11% were their parents• Approx. 84% of homeless families were headed by women o U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Estimated that of the 1.6 million people who used an emergency shelter or transitional housing facility between October 2006 and September 2007, 500,000 were person in families • Approx. 131,000 sheltered family households during that period o U.S. Conference of Mayors Reported that 23% of homeless persons using emergency or transitional shelter services in urban areas were members of households with children. Pathways to Homelessnesso Precipitants of homelessness: Economic events such as • Eviction, inability to pay rent, or job loss• Relationship events including women leaving abusive situations and disagreements with friends or relatives with whom they were living• Unsafe living conditions such as a house fire, drug use or sales, condemned structures, or lack of heat or electricity o Reasons women who were homeless with children gave for leaving their last place of residence:  Couldn’t pay rent (20%) Abuse or violence in the household (16%)2 Landlord made client leave (8%) Problem with residence or area where residence is located (8%)Who are Homeless Families?o A typical sheltered homeless family is comprised of a mother and two or three children o African American families tend to be overrepresented in the homeless population• Characteristics of Homeless Mothers:  65% of mothers who were homeless with their minor children were between 22 and 34 years of age • 12% were 21 years and under  45% of these women were black non-Hispanic 34% were white non-Hispanic 16% were Hispanic o Homeless mothers tend to have limited education 53% reported not graduating from high school 20% had a high school diploma or GED 27% had education beyond high schoolo The median length of stay in homeless facilities was longer for families (30 nights) than for individuals (14 nights) o Although mental illness and substance abuse do not appear to be resent among homeless mothers to the same extent as among single homeless men and women, they are at greater risk for these problems than the general population  Mental health concerns do not appear to be a major factor in causing family homelessnesso Coping Strategies that homeless mothers reported using included: Doing something to confront their problems directly  Getting social support Having patience and enduring hardships 3 Thinking positively  Having religious beliefs  Exhibiting a willingness to ask for and accept help Finding purpose in helping othersHomeless Children and the Impact of Homelessness:o Children who are homeless with one or more parents are distinguished from homeless youth who are considered unaccompanied minors Fifty-three percent of children under age of 18 living with homeless parents are male, and 75% are under age 12o Buckner Differentiates between earlier and later studies of the impact of homelessness on children• “First-Generation” studies, using data collected primarily during the 1980’s, focused on identifying characteristics and needs of homeless children• “Second-Generation” studies, conducted during the 1990’s and later, tended to use more sophisticated research designs to study more conceptually complex questions  Notes that most adverse effects seem to be more related to poverty than to being homeless • Homeless and poor housed children are more at risk for having mental health/behavioral, health, and education problems than are children in the general population Discusses 3 types of risk factors: • Risks that are specifically related to being homeless • Risks that are shared by children from low-income families more broadly• Risks that all children, regardless of family income, have in common4o Children who experience homelessness are exposed to all three sets of risk factors, while low-income children are exposed to only two setso Children who are neither homeless nor poor are exposed to only one set o Buckner & Bassuk Found that children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties were more often associated with their mother’s emotional distress than with their homeless condition o Page & Nooe Found significant associations between children’s distress and mother’s childhood risks, chronicity of homelessness, residential instability, and concern over sufficiency of food o The McKinney Homeless Assistance Act  Required