FAD Final Exam Notes Study Guide Chapter 15 Homeless Families An Extreme Stressor Homeless Definition Different definitions of homelessness are used in different contexts Generally homelessness is defined as a person who lacks a fixed regular and adequate night time residence Who are the Homeless Estimated 50 homeless women and children fleeing domestic violence No longer single men increasingly single women and families with children Vast majority of homeless families are mother headed o hidden homelessness o No permanent residence o doubled up families How many people are Homeless How do you measure homelessness The number of homeless is difficult to ascertain because estimates vary depending on the methodology used o Numbers also vary substantially depending on whether a measurement is taken on a single night or is extrapolated to a given year 2007 estimated 1 6 million homeless have used shelters Oct 06 Sep 07 One approximation of the annual number of homeless in America is from a study by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty which estimates between 2 3 and 3 5 million people experience homelessness According to a 2008 U S Department of Housing and Urban Development report an estimated 671 888 people experienced homelessness in one night in January 2007 Some 58 percent of them were living in shelters and transitional housing and 42 percent were unsheltered Incidence vs prevalence Measuring homelessness is difficult because of the fluidity of the homeless population Part of the difficulty stems from varying methodologies used to measure homelessness Some researchers attempt to count all the people who are literally homeless on a given day or during a given week called a point in time count o Critics say this method is likely to overestimate the number of chronically homeless and underestimate the number of people who experience temporary homelessness A second method of counting homeless people examines the number of people who are homeless over a given period of time also called a period prevalence count o Critics of this method point to the difficulty of standardizing measurements o Other affecting factors in measuring homeless rates include the duration of counting and time of year of counting The U S Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD has recently instituted standardized reporting requirements to include both those inside the system in shelters and those outside unsheltered using a point in time count 1 1 o About homeless women fleeing abuse o Not all states release intimate partner abuse victims from housing contracts Pathways to Homelessness Leaving intimate partner abuse Unsafe living conditions o House fire o Drug use or sales o Condemned structures o Lack of electricity or heat Couldn t pay rent Family disputes Lack of affordable housing Transition to homelessness o Slow transition due to decline in safe living conditions o Quick transition eviction foreclosure family problems o Never had own residence Who are Homeless Families Typical sheltered family o mother 2 3 kids African American families overrepresented o More than homeless families African American o Whites and Hispanics underrepresented Homeless Mothers 46 never married 53 never graduated from high school Homeless moms are often young between age 22 and 34 Higher rates of homelessness among minority groups Inconsistent work histories common o Reflection of low SES and high poverty o Although most homeless families receive some kind of income it s not enough to pay for housing without additional assistance Mental illness and substance abuse still more common among homeless men but an Poverty and homelessness key factors in causing depressive symptoms issue for many homeless women o 40 homeless women had alcohol issue o 46 experienced drug problems o 54 had mental health issues Factors that Mitigate Stressors of Homelessness Positive social support Doing something to confront problem directly Willing to ask for or accept help Finding purpose in helping others 2 2 Having patience and enduring hardships Homeless Children One out of 50 or about 1 5 million American children are homeless each year according to a 2009 study by the National Center on Family Homelessness 53 homeless children are male 75 homeless children under age 12 Homeless kids exposed to poor living conditions o Poor sanitation o Exposure to cold damp mold o Communal sleeping o Many Domestic violence homeless shelters don t let teen males remain in shelter Shared bathroom facilities Homeless women may leave children with family members or friends Homelessness influences child development and health o More chronic health outcomes o Poor living conditions o Stress o Depression o Trauma o Behavioral problems o Other mental health problems o More related to problems of poverty than homelessness alone What are the greatest causes of homelessness For persons in families the three most commonly cited causes according to a 2008 U S Conference of Mayors study are o Lack of affordable housing o Poverty o Unemployment For singles the three most commonly cited causes of homelessness are o Substance abuse o Lack of affordable housing o Mental illness Theories about the Causes of Homelessness Increasing rates of homelessness related to overall increase in rates of poverty over past 2 decades o Rich getting richer poor getting poorer shrinking middle class Structural and SES factors o Lack of low cost housing o Imbalance between of low cost housing units and of families qualifying for those units Individual Factors family breakup o Youth low income ethnicity physical disabilities DV as adults low education 3 3 o Unhealthy social support negative coping poor social networks job loss Social Factors economic changes Social network theory o Poor social networks cause of homelessness o However homeless often turn to family or friends until their safety nets had worn too thin to support them any longer Attachment theory o Certain people have limited support networks o Family history can lead to extreme disaffiliation and inability to use social networks Children who experience high degrees of abuse and family discord low degrees of parental involvement and poor family organization and social integration are likely to experience later difficulty in seeking caregivers p 345 o High rates of early childhood disruptive experiences among homeless women Impact of Homelessness on Family Relationships Family boundaries fragmented Parenting roles