One in 50 children is homeless in the United States every year

[Stan]

Source

CNN) -- One in 50 children is homeless in the United States every year, according to a report released Tuesday.

The National Center on Family Homelessness estimates more than 1.5 million children are without a home.

The report, by the National Center on Family Homelessness, analyzed data from 2005-06 and found that more than 1.5 million children were without a home.

"These numbers will grow as home foreclosures continue to rise," Ellen Bassuk, president of the center, said in a statement.

The study ranked states on their performance in four areas: the extent of child homelessness, the risk for it, child well-being and the state's policy and planning efforts.

The states that fared the poorest were Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Connecticut, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island and North Dakota performed the best.

Homeless children have poor health, emotional problems and low graduation rates, the study found.

"The consequences to our society will play out for decades," Bassuk said. "As we bail out the rest of our nation, it is also time to come to their aid."

The report offers recommendations such as improved support to ensure that children's schooling is not interrupted when they lose their homes, and services to address the trauma of homelessness.

Other highlights in the report, "America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness:"

-- 42 percent of homeless children are younger than 6.

-- African-American and Native American children are disproportionately represented.

-- More than 1 in 7 homeless children have moderate to severe health conditions, such as asthma.

-- Approximately 1.16 million of homeless children today will not graduate from high school.

[Key Guy]

I don't buy the stats.

These groups purposely overestimate them to advance their agenda and to get more funding.

I'm certainly NOT saying there isn't a homeless problem, it's just not as bad as advocacy groups paint it.

Here in Monroe County (the county of the Keys and Everglades), they recently conducted an actual head count of homeless and found that there were 200 fewer than 5 years ago!

Their new problems:

1) The original count could have been artificially too high

2) This count may be inaccurate

3) Fewer homeless stats means less funding

4) How will the advocacy groups spin this news to convince the public to give even more money?

5) How to keep from celebrating over the stats saying that homelessness is actually improving?

When it comes to any kind of gov't funding, success actually means failure because no one wants less money the next time they hold out their hands. How many times have I heard from my customers in June.. "We need to spend this quickly (before June 30) because we have a surplus and if we don't spend it, we'll lose some of the funding in the next fiscal year"?

[Dottie]

Was the group that did this study the same one that counted total homelss people, and people in the USA without "health" insurance?

I think health care is one's own responsibility, and medical care is the responsibility of the doctors, etc.

[jlbyrd]

I don't buy the stats.

These groups purposely overestimate them to advance their agenda and to get more funding.

Do you have any proof to support this claim? Isn't it better to give gladly to those in need then to question the accuracy of the statisticians?

[phkrause]

I do agree to a certain extent. Look at Live Aid, they personally go and give the money to who it needs to go, because there are organizations that have not given the money to where it needs to go. Or the country that we send the money to, the government takes it and it never gets to those who need it.

pk

[Key Guy]

Byrd,

I am skeptical about anything the gov't says or does. On a grand scale, we have been taxed trillions of dollars to help the poor since the 60's. And yet, we are told that there are more people below the poverty level (whatever that is) than before. If we are losing the 'war against poverty' where did all of our money go? They keep telling us to give (they actually take) more, more, more. Yet, we still don't see an improvement.

It's better to give gladly to those orgs and folks that use the funds responsibly, who actually help the long-term problem with education and life changing training... and the gov't ain't it. They can't even teach children ABOVE the poverty level (whatever that is).

Want proof? Look at the attitudes of most federal, state and local municipal workers. Most of them are only looking for ways to protect their buttocks.

[phkrause]

The money goes into the pockets of the CEOs, as bonuses for a job well done!!!

pk