Essay On Childhood Homelessness

Homelessness is something that has no discrimination to age, race, or geographic location. While some groups are more likely to be homeless than others, one of the more fragile homeless populations involves children. Childhood homelessness trends are rising in the United States, and the state of Kentucky is one of the most impacted in our nation. Despite federal laws that are in place to protect homeless children and to ensure access to proper education, homelessness takes a toll on adequate learning, mental health, and physical health. At the national, state, and local level, homelessness is an epidemic that has an impact on children and their learning/educational development.
Definition and Classification
Homelessness is a growing epidemic in our country. Not only having an impact on adults, homelessness has a profound impact on children as well. The preconceived notion is that a homeless person is the stereotypical, disheveled person living under a bridge, and while this does represent a portion of the homeless population in the United States, it doesn’t represent every person that falls into the ‘homeless’ category.
According to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines a homeless person as:
An individual …show more content…
Homeless children deal with the lack of a stable living environment, as well as overcoming the learning and educational hurdles associated. Fortunately, there are laws set into place that help identify homeless children and provide them with the educational opportunities they deserve. Federal Law named the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, defines what qualifies a child as homeless, and provides safeguards for their education. According to the 2013 Kentucky Department of Education Homeless Education Program, McKinney-Vento defines homeless children