Homeless children suffer in many ways

I have been blessed with always living in a house, and I, with the grace of God, will continue to provide a home for my family, especially my children.  Some of the children I deal with in the youth programs in my church are homeless, and we are working with local and national resources to help the children here and elsewhere.   Normally when a person thinks of homeless people, a vision of a sign-toting person in old clothes comes to mind, but while these others are “working,” children are in school or out of that picture. In a country where more and more people are working hard to hang on to their jobs or are collecting payments of some sort because they do not have employment, home foreclosures remain a major problem.

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness (http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org), the problem of homeless children is increasing.   The organization says that, without a voice, more than 1.5 million of our nation’s children go to sleep without a home each year. Homeless, these children also endure a lack of safety, comfort, privacy, reassuring routines, adequate health care, uninterrupted schooling, sustaining relationships, and a sense of community. These factors combine to create a life-altering experience that inflicts profound and lasting scars.

The National Center has created, “America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness,” to provide a comprehensive snapshot of child homelessness in America today. This is an update of a study The National Center released in 1999. The Report Card describes the status of homeless children in four areas: extent of child homelessness, child well-being, structural risk factors, and state-by-state policy and planning efforts. Washington ranked 34th child well-being using indicators related to food security, health, and education.

The National Center reports that children without homes are twice as likely to experience hunger as other children. Two-thirds worry they won’t have enough to eat. More than one-third of homeless children report being forced to skip meals. Homelessness makes children sick. Children who experience homelessness are more than twice as likely as middle class children to have moderate to severe acute and chronic health problems.

Education is key to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty. The National Center  says  82 percent of children whose parents have less than a high school diploma live in poverty. Homeless children are twice as likely as other children to repeat a grade in school, to be expelled or suspended, or to drop out of high school. At the end of high school, few homeless students are proficient in reading and math – and their estimated graduation rate is below 25 percent.

There are local not-for-profit organizations working with our church and funds are secured from national organizations to help the homeless children, and their brother and sisters, under our charge to improve their well-being and their chances of success at school.

Peace be you with always,

Rev. Paul Abernathy

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” -2 Peter 1:2

Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.

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