This review, compiled by the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), is based on literature published between 1995 and 2005 on issues concerning unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. It provides an overview of the challenges these young people face and includes research about why they leave their homes, how they live after leaving,…

Changes in homelessness since the 1950s and 1960s involve increasing numbers of homeless persons, striking differences in their composition, and marked deterioration in their condition. Beyond similarly high levels of mental illness and substance abuse, the new homeless are younger, poorer, often shelterless, and include more minorities, women,…

Providing housing and supports for people with psychiatric disabilities, particularly those who are homeless, is a major public policy challenge. Summarizes ways in which the concept of these needs is rapidly shifting in the mental health field. This population is increasingly seen as capable of full-community participation and integration. (AF)

Recent research suggests that approximately one-third of homeless single adults suffer from severe mental illnesses. Discusses federal initiatives undertaken by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) to encourage research and improve services for this subgroup. Describes the target population, NIMH research findings, and current mental…

Homelessness is a growing problem in every part of the United States. Federal legislation requires state plans for educating homeless children, but will provide less than $23 per child. Summarizes some of the state plans and suggests steps school boards can take to provide homeless children with public education. (MLF)

This document presents a report on the educational needs of homeless children in New York City. Data were analyzed from the following sources: (1) review of the current literature on the impact of homelessness on the physical and emotional well-being of children; (2) field-based interviews with 277 families in New York's shelters and hotels; and…

Homeless children confront abject poverty and experience a constellation of risks that are having a devastating impact on their well-being. This paper reviews research linking homelessness among children to hunger and poor nutrition, health problems and lack of health and mental health care, developmental delays, psychological problems, and…

This paper identifies the educational problems confronting homeless children, describes the Federal response to these problems, and discusses challenges for the 1990s. Although homeless children want to go to school more often than their permanently housed peers, they typically confront significant obstacles to access because of local enrollment…