Impact of homelessness on children

What are the impacts of homelessness on children? It's hard to generalize, as the effects of homelessness are hard to separate out from the impact of poverty and other stressful events. However, recent studies that compare homeless children to other low-income children indicate that experiencing homelessness and high mobility leads to behavior problems, lessened academic success, and other negative outcomes.

A 1999 study by Ellen Bassuk and her colleagues suggested that homelessness has a negative impact on the developmental status, behavior, and emotional well being of children. Homeless children had twice the number of stressful events in the past year as other children from low-income single parent families. They were twice as likely to have been placed in foster care, almost three times as likely to have been sexually abused.

A 1993 study by Graham-Bermann and her colleagues showed more child behavior problems with homeless children. The results suggest that homeless children have greater stress exposure and fewer resources than low-income children of similar background whose families have housing do. However, a 1995 study by Annelie Hartmann and her colleagues found little difference between low-income housed or homeless children from single-parent families when characteristics of the mother were considered. Maternal depression was found to contribute significantly to both developmental delays and behavior problems.

Focusing on homelessness as the problem can minimize the impact of long periods of living in poverty. The Worcester Family Research Project of the Better Homes Fund is a comprehensive study of sheltered homeless and low-income housed families and their children in Worcester, Massachusetts. While there were difference between the housed and homeless families, the researchers concluded "The astoundingly high prevalence of severe physical and sexual victimization and the high rates of adverse mental and physical health outcomes attest to the level of suffering experienced by both homeless and housed low-income families. Many of these families are extremely isolated and have few personal, institutional, or community supports."

A 1994 study by Ziesemer and Marcoux compared children who had been homeless and other highly mobile low-income children. The study found similar negative impacts on behavior and academic success, and little difference between the homeless and highly mobile children.

The experience of being homeless for children is more than just being without a permanent address. There are a number of common issues that children who are homeless face. These include:

• a diminished sense of place and loss of contact with familiar things;
• a lessening of a sense of identity;
• a weakened sense of security and trust in the parent(s);
• a change in behaviors in response to stress

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Last Updated January 24, 2001