Background: People with intellectual disabilities can experience homelessness, and some of the reasons differ from the general homeless population. Specific policy and practice responses are required. Method: A systematic review of studies examining homelessness among people with intellectual disabilities utilizing CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and…

Stable housing is an important determinant of health equity (Swope & Hernández, 2019). Yet, there are few studies exploring housing insecurity in rural areas. In the current study, we examined the similarities and differences in housing insecure experiences across four rural areas in the state of Maine. We used a qualitative case study…

In the last decade, the number of public school students in the United States experiencing homelessness has more than doubled. Research shows that school enrollment processes are particularly onerous for families experiencing homelessness; yet, school choice and enrollment policies are rarely designed with the type of flexibility needed to be…

This brief summarizes a study of five school districts that have been recognized for their efforts to provide high-quality services to students experiencing homelessness. The districts worked hard to identify students experiencing homelessness and supplemented modest federal funds with private funding, district funding, community-based resources,…

Background: In 2018, Georgia ranked fourth in the USA for the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and first for rate of new HIV diagnoses. Structural barriers to HIV prevention and care include homelessness, inadequate access to healthcare, insufficient sexual health education, HIV criminalisation and incarceration. Objective: Georgia…

This study explores in depth interviews of parents, teachers, and educators within the confined geographical boundary of Santa Cruz County, California in order to offer to the broader community a more concise look at the challenges families and schools face in addressing the issue of family homelessness. The current state of family homelessness is…

This Research-to-Impact brief is the fifth in a series by Chapin Hall's Voices of Youth Count on understanding and addressing youth homelessness. The brief estimates that nearly 4.2 million youth and young adults in America experienced some form of homelessness during a 12-month period. It highlights research related to the specific experiences of…

Schools and districts are seeing unprecedented numbers of students and families living without residential stability. Although the McKinney-Vento Act has been around for over 2 decades, many district- and site-level practitioners have a difficult time interpreting and implementing the Act's mandates within their local contexts. This book provides…

Several systemic factors contribute to the lack of stability and educational opportunities for students in foster care, including lack of transportation to the school of origin (or the schools they enrolled in when they first entered foster care), difficulty enrolling in new schools and transferring credits between school districts, gaps in…

Background: The drastic surge in the number of homeless families in the United States (U.S.) has resulted in an increase in the number of homeless students attending U.S. public schools. Meanwhile, the U.S. public school system is struggling to meet the educational needs of their homeless students. Objective: This study examined the historical…

Homelessness has a devastating impact on children. Research has shown that homelessness puts children at increased risk of health problems, developmental delays, academic underachievement and mental health problems. Homelessness also has a disproportionate impact on the youngest children, who account for more than half of all children in…

With the needs and challenges of adolescent homelessness on the rise, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (MVA) was crafted as a public policy initiative aimed at facilitating access to schools for this population. While school social workers are the designated personnel for practice with homeless school-aged children, we know little about…

This mixed methods investigation of homeless education in a major urban region identified a number of significant developments and dilemmas amid the larger homeless crisis in the United States. We found that the wider community demographics of homelessness have shifted in recent years, resulting in a higher number of homeless families--many of…

Living without permanent, long-term housing creates a number of stressors for children and families, but being homeless can be particularly detrimental to the healthy development of young children. The National Center on Family Homelessness reports that more than 1.6 million children--or one in 45 children--were homeless annually in America…

Education plays a critical role in how adolescents mature into adults. A vulnerable, and often forgotten, sub-population of the poor is homeless youth, for whom lack of a stable or adequate residence creates a unique set of educational barriers. The Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis (CHEPA) spent 18 months documenting the experiences of…