But programs such as that require a lot more resources than many communities have in place. When families do land in a shelter, everyone needs to work to get them out as quickly as possible, he said. A shelter is not a home, not a proper place to raise children, Stoops said. Children especially need the warmth, love and security of a family in a stable location. It s so hard for me to think that the words homeless children have become part of our vocabulary.
Children make up about one-third of the local shelter s total population each year.
Those numbers fluctuate. While they re at a shelter, children need to be exposed as much as possible to normal life. Children need to be able to do children s things, Stoops said. They need to be able to go to the movies, sporting events, restaurants. These things aren t necessary for an adult to survive, but they are necessary for children.