This NCHE program profile explores the role of education in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP); summarizes key education outcomes in, lessons learned in, and technical assistance provided to YHDP communities; and shares cross-system innovations and promising practices for…

Philosophical assumptions about identity, being and belonging have, as is well known, historically been bound together, with their classical nexus being Plato's Socrates, who, because of this, figures as the first philosopher of the city. Especially during moments of crisis, as Socrates' life and death testify, the impulse, both philosophically…

Attendance is vital to academic success but many children in Michigan are not making it to school. Based on recent estimates, Michigan has the sixth highest statewide chronic absenteeism rate in the country. Efforts to reduce school absences can be strengthened by understanding the characteristics of students most at risk. Race, income and…

This article focuses on factors outside of school that we have identified from the established research literature as essential for educators to consider in supporting students in urban environments. We start by conceptualizing what it means for a school to be "urban." Following this discussion, we describe four outside-of-school factors…

In developing countries, population estimates and assessments of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals are based increasingly on household surveys. It is not recognised that they are inappropriate for obtaining information about the poorest of the poor. Typically, they omit "by design:" those not in households because they are…

This article addresses the question, "How do mothers and children in a homeless shelter interact with literacy?" We drew on the theoretical framework of social literacy practices in which cultural context is foregrounded. Data for this qualitative study included participant observation in one homeless shelter and interviews with one…

Confrontations between urban neighborhoods and activist organizations seeking affordable housing and shelter for the homeless are attracting the increased attention of academics and policy makers. Perceived as a problem to be resolved, and constituted as a "syndrome," the social phenomenon "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) is…

Children in communities across Colorado--whether large or small, rural or urban, on the Eastern Plains or the Western Slope--face opportunities and obstacles to reaching their full potential. While some challenges are similar, many are very different depending on the community environment and the resources available to support children and…

This exploratory study examined the nature of therapeutic conversation between helping professionals and homeless persons as an intervention to optimize health. Meaningful conversation occurred in relationships where there was a sense of connection and the presence of rapport. Emergent facilitators of therapeutic conversation included respectful…

This study examined incarceration histories and shelter use patterns of 7,022 persons staying in public shelters in New York City. Through matching administrative shelter records with data on releases from New York State prisons and New York City jails, 23.1% of a point-prevalent shelter population was identified as having had an incarceration…

Following a review of approaches taken to generate accurate estimates of the scale of child and youth homelessness in America, this article documents the methods and results of a multipronged count of homeless children and youth in New Haven, Connecticut. The survey used in this count accessed demographics and service needs, and was administered…

An exploratory study of 192 homeless shelters in 29 cities used structural equation analysis to analyze characteristics of organizational and service delivery systems. The resulting model showed that services offered by the shelters are best understood as being influenced by organizational structure mediated through the organization's relationship…

Evaluated the Homeless Families Program implemented in nine cities to create systems change by restructuring systems of health and support services and housing and to develop and test a model of services-enriched housing for homeless families. Considers the evaluation as a case study of evaluation approaches and results presentation. (SLD)

In the 1980s, homelessness attracted considerable attention from the media, advocates, politicians, and the public. Virtually every sector of society and the government responded. Interest in the issue has waned considerably since then, but the problem continues growing, particularly in large urban areas. While public policies address the problem,…

This report describes a pilot study to determine the needs of formerly homeless families in New York City and to help them make the transition from welfare hotels and shelters into new homes and to become stable and permanent residents of their communities. Three New York social services agencies assigned one or two caseworkers to nine homeless…