Cash assistance and food stamps do not cover food costs when rents are high. Lack of adequate food is especially common during winter when cash must be used to pay for heat. Even when these families are housed in homeless shelters, their children can still be undernourished. Although shelters provide nutritionally balanced food, meals are usually served at strictly scheduled times that can be easily missed when mothers are searching for housing and work. Food preparation for homeless families living in hotels and motels can be challenging.
Homeless children are in fair or poor health twice as often as other children.
Homeless newborns have higher rates of low birth weight and need special care after birth four times as often as other children. Exposure to the communal conditions of shelter life, including overcrowding and shared food preparation, increases the risk of disease and infection. Compared to other children, homeless children suffer twice as many ear infections and five times more diarrheal and stomach problems. Anemia, eczema, and headaches are other chronic illnesses experienced by homeless infants, toddlers, and school-age children. Despite the efforts of dedicated staff, many shelters are noisy and chaotic, too hot or cold, crowded, and lack comfortable surroundings.