# Presentation: 087703

## Characteristics and Service Needs of Families with Children Experiencing Homelessness

## Overview

- What do we know about family homelessness?
- What are the risk factors for family homelessness?
- What do we know about interventions that work for homeless families?

## How Many Families Are Homeless in the United States?

- Up to 800,000 people are homeless each week
- 2-3 million people are homeless each year
- 11% are parents with children
- 23% are children under 18 with a parent
- Together, parents and their children comprise 34% or more of the homeless population
- 1Burt et al., 2001

## What Do We Know About Family Homelessness?*

- 50% are homeless for first time
- 25% are homeless more than a year
- Half in transitional housing
- 29% homeless for first time before age 18
- 25% experienced out-of-home placement before age 18
- Family homelessness is expensive
- Average annual cost of shelter for a homeless family in NYC is $25,000 per year (NYC Master Panel Report, 2003, p. 51)
- 33% of family requests for shelter went unmet in 2003 (U.S. Conf. of Mayors, 2003)
- *Unless otherwise indicated data is from Burt et al., 2001. Based on women with children.

## What Do We Know About Homeless Families?

- 84% are single mothers
- Average age - late 20s
- Average 2-3 children, most under age 6
- 66% are women of color (African American, 44%; Latina, 16%; Native American, 6%)

## Health Care Needs*

- 27% have no insurance; 67% have Medicaid
- 27% needed, but not able to get medical treatment in past year
- 45% had one or more chronic health conditions
- In one study, 48% had at least one family member with a disability or chronic illness (Beyond Shelter, 2003)
- *Burt et al., 2001, unless otherwise noted. Based on women with children.

## Behavioral Health Needs*

- 23%	Problems with alcohol
- 27%	Problems with drugs
- 44%	Mental health problems (primarily 			depression, anxiety, PTSD)
- 58% 	One or more of the above
- *Burt et al., 2001. Based on women with children; self-report of problems within past year.

## Experience of Violence*

- 67% severe childhood physical abuse
- 43% childhood sexual abuse
- 63% severe violence by adult intimate partner(s)
- *Bassuk et al., 1996.  Based on women with children.

## Needs of Children

- Homeless children go hungry at twice the rate of other children
- Nearly 25% have witnessed acts of violence in their families, usually against their mother
- They experience physical and sexual abuse at 2-3 times the rate of other children
- 22% of homeless children spend some time apart from their family in a typical year, with 12% placed in foster care

## Needs of Children

- _Educational and Learning Difficulties_
- At least one-fifth of children who are homeless do not attend school
- More than one-fourth have attended 3 or more schools in a year
- 18% of homeless children have developmental delays – four times the rate for other children
- Children who are homeless are diagnosed with learning disabilities such as dyslexia or speech and language impediments twice as often as other children
- Children who are homeless are twice as likely to repeat a grade as other children

## Needs of Children

- _Emotional and Behavioral Problems_
- 12% of preschoolers and 47% of school-age children who are homeless have anxiety, depression, withdrawal, and other clinical problems
- 16% of preschoolers have behavior problems including severe aggression and hostility
- 36% of school-age children exhibit aggressive or delinquent behavior

## What are the Structural Risk Factors for Family Homelessness?

- Extreme poverty
- Availability and cost of housing
- Race and ethnicity

## Extreme Poverty*

- $437 per month -- median income for homeless women with children; this is 43% of the federal poverty level if she has two children
- Only 22% had a job lasting or expecting to last at least three months
- 46% of homeless women with children compared to 17% of low-income housed women had annual incomes below $7,000 (Bassuk et al., 1996)
- * Extreme poverty is defined as 50% or less than federal poverty level (ex. For a family of three, FLP is $14,348; 50% is approx. $7,000). Unless otherwise indicated, bulleted statistics are from Burt et al., 2001, p. 79.

## Receipt of Benefits*

**Percent**

- *Burt et al., 2001, p. 79, for women with children. (AFDC, 58%; SSI, 10%; SSDI, 3%; GA, 8%; VA, less than 1%)
- **AFDC in 1996; fewer expected today on TANF

## Availability and Cost of Housing*

- 1990’s rent increases double the rate of inflation
- 1 in 4 renter households defined by HUD as “struggling renter households,” paying more than 50% of their income for rent
- Waiting list for Section 8 now over 2 years
- Full-time minimum wage worker can not afford* even a one bedroom apartment* at fair market rent anywhere in the U.S. (Dolbeare, 1999)
- *(Unless otherwise noted, HUD, 1999, 2000)

## Race and Ethnicity

- African American women at greatest risk for family homelessness
- Once homeless, African American and Latino families experience longer shelter stays than other families
- Clear interaction with poverty and other factors

## Individual Risk Factors for Family Homelessness*

- Young head of household
- Pregnant or recent childbirth
- History of domestic violence
- Household with absent children/Involvement with child welfare system
- Non-leaseholder/Never having apartment in one’s own name
- Frequent moves (> once a year)
- Crowded living conditions (>2 persons per bedroom)
- *Consistent across multiple studies, including Shinn et al., 1998; Metraux & Culhane, 1999; Wong, Culhane & Kuhn, 1997; Bassuk et al., 1996, 1997; NYC Master Panel, 2003.  First four are also risk factors for repeated and prolonged bouts of family homelessness (Metraux & Culhane, 1999).

## Key Predictors of Residential Stability

- Having one’s own apartment1
- Access to subsidized housing1
- In one study (Shinn et al., 1998), residential stability was 20 times greater for those with rent subsidies than for those without
- Receipt of subsidized housing dependent upon:2
- Being in shelter that provided housing-related services
- Staying in shelter long enough to come to top of waiting list
- Findings raise questions about need for transitional housing
- 1Shinn et al., 1998; Rog et al., 1995; Metraux & Culhane, 1999; Bassuk et al., 1997.
- 2Shinn et al., 1998

## Evidence-based and Promising Practices

- Evidence-based practices
- Housing subsidies
- Increasing the supply of permanent affordable housing
- Promising practices
- Rapid Re-housing and Housing First approaches
- Prevention strategies

## Housing Subsidies... Examples

**Section 8** (improving access, setting priorities, increasing retention/use of vouchers/certificates)
- Family Unification Program – HUD-funded partnerships between public housing authorities and public child welfare agencies provides housing vouchers and support services to families in the child welfare system
**TANF Block Grant funds** can be used to provide emergency assistance, including a short-term housing subsidy and/or transitional case management services, to eligible families for up to 4 months (ex. Columbus, Ohio; Minnesota; Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
**State-funded bridge subsidies**
**Work with landlords** to increase willingness to rent to people using subsidies
**Work with public housing agencies** to overcome barriers to housing for vulnerable families

## Increasing Permanent Affordable Housing...Examples

**Seattle housing levy** – In 2002, Seattle voters approved a levy to provide $86 million for low-income housing, including 1,700 low-income apartments, emergency assistance for 500+ renters at risk of eviction, and subsidies for 300+ first time home buyers.
**Los Angeles affordable housing trust fund **– The City of Los Angeles established a housing trust fund with a $100 million multi-year funding plan beginning in 2002.
**Inclusionary zoning policies** have been used in Montgomery County, Maryland, to develop housing for low-income families. (see www.brookings.org/dybdocroot/es/urban/publications/inclusionary)

## Rapid Re-Housing/Housing First

- Alternative to current system of emergency shelter/transitional housing which tends to prolong the length of time that families remain homeless
- Premise -- vulnerable and at-risk homeless families are more responsive to interventions and support after they are in their own housing
- Programs facilitate move into permanent housing and then engage families in progressive interventions for a limited period of time as they move toward improved social and economic well-being

## Rapid Re-Housing/Housing First Programs...

- Conduct in-depth screening, assessment and planning to build on strengths and address family needs
- Provide housing-related services:
- Helping families overcome barriers to permanent housing, including obtaining rental subsidies, addressing poor credit, prior eviction issues, etc.
- Direct marketing to property owners (including public housing agencies) to help increase housing options for families
- Provide home-based case management for 3-12 months *after the move to permanent housing* to help families improve coping and household management skills and linkage to local services and resources

## Rapid Re-Housing/ Housing First... Examples

- Beyond Shelter - Los Angeles, CA
- Getting Housed, Staying Housed - Chicago, IL
- Housing Support Center - Philadelphia, PA
- HomeStart - Boston, MA
- Rapid Exit Program - Hennepin Co., MN

## Prevention Strategies...Examples 

- TANF agencies/administrators can...
- Adopt protocols to assess housing needs and resources of TANF recipients and leavers to prevent discharges to homelessness
- Partner with local public housing authorities and private landlords to help maximize affordable housing for families
- Implement models to minimize sanctions and maximize program compliance for families that are at high-risk for homelessness
- Adopt program models to help families in housing crises retain their housing through financial assistance, mediation, or case management
- Provide outreach and services to families in shelters so that their homelessness can be shortened or ended

## Mainstream Federal Programs

**Income/Employment**
- Department of Labor programs
- SSI/SSDI
- TANF
- Food Stamps/WIC
**Housing**
- Section 8
- HOME
- HOPWA
- Community Development Block Grant
- Section 811

**Services**
- Medicaid
- Mental Health Block Grant
- Substance Abuse Block Grant
- Community Health Centers
- Community Services Block Grant
- Social Services Block Grant
- TANF
- Head Start
**Veterans Programs**

## Creating A Comprehensive Service System for Homelessness

- Support concept of  “No Wrong Door” to services
- Provide services determined by evidence to be effective
- Change ineffective policies or regulations
- Leverage existing resources
- Use mainstream resources
- Pursue new resources

## Steps to Achieving a Comprehensive Service System

- Involve key stakeholders
- Establish a formal plan
- Build linkages and partnerships from top-down and bottom-up
- Enhance funding and other resources
- Streamline the administration of funding
- Perform ongoing monitoring and quality assurance