America is called the "Land of Opportunity." Popular stories help to develop and perpetuate a mental model that says anyone can make anything of themselves. Education is promoted as the great equalizer; it is believed that anyone can go to high school in the United States, and even to college if they try hard enough. This mental model is…

In response to the increasing numbers of homeless families, Homes for the Homeless surveyed families in emergency shelters in Newark (New Jersey) to gain some insights into the characteristics and circumstances of urban homeless families. Newark was chosen because it is a large urban center with a high concentration of welfare recipients that is…

A program was developed to demonstrate an effective delivery system for providing family-oriented literacy services to homeless parents of young children. By taking the program directly into four bridge or transitional housing sites in Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative of Goodwill Industries believed that the result would be an…

This newsletter issue focuses on collaborating and coordinating services to assist families in stressful situations such as being afflicted with AIDS, being homeless, and experiencing intervention from child protection authorities. The newsletter includes the following articles: (1) "Finding Sources of Public Funding for Your Family Resource…

This monograph discusses runaway and homeless youth and the programs that serve them in seven large and medium-sized cities throughout the United States. The monograph focuses on the characteristics and service needs of these youths and the demands they pose for service providers. It examines how the population and the service environment have…

This report summarizes the findings of a conference that examined the problem of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) among street and homeless youth. Street and homeless youth, by virtue of their circumstances and the behaviors they engage in, are at great risk of becoming infected with HIV,…

The Children's Action Alliance (CAA) is a private nonprofit organization working on behalf of Arizona children. The CAA and other groups sponsor the Arizona Children's Campaign, whose goal is to influence public policy in such a way that the quality of children's lives will be improved as a result. This synopsis of CAA reports of the last several…

In 1988 officials in 27 major cities were surveyed on the following topics: (1) ability to meet demand for emergency food assistance and shelter; (2) causes and demographics of hunger and homelessness; (3) status of low-income housing; and (4) outlook for 1989. Summary findings included the following: (1) demand for emergency food assistance…

This packet contains documents that provide general information about homelessness and the need for both Federal and local action to help the homeless people in America. Sections 1 and 2 contain the following articles released by the Homelessness Information Exchange: (1) "The Problem of Homelessness Nationwide"; and "Alternative Family Housing…

This annual report on the numbers of homeless children in Massachusetts and their educational experiences is based on information from the following six sources: (1) family, adolescent, and battered women shelters; (2) the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare (Welfare); (3) the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS); (4) school…

This report profiles 15 programs that are providing education and support services to homeless students. These programs have been selected from over 40 nominations from state homeless coordinators and from national organizations concerned with services to the homeless. The profiled programs were selected on the basis of innovative educational…

According to recent studies, families with children are now the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population: 40 percent of the homeless population consists of members of families. Forty-three percent of homeless children do not attend school, which provides children with a much-needed sense of place and continuity that they otherwise lack…

Between 45,000 and 90,000 habitable New York City apartments are being kept deliberately vacant ("warehoused") by the speculators who own them. Most of these apartments have reasonable rents, affordable by middle- and low-income families. Meanwhile, the housing crisis for poor New Yorkers has grown steadily worse. As many as 75,000…

This fact sheet discusses the effect of Nicaraguan immigrants entering the country at Brownsville (Texas) on local service providers in Miami (Florida). During individual meetings held on February 1, 1989 with Miami area officials, concerns were expressed over the immigrants' general welfare and the financial strain on local organizations…

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was enacted in 1987 as the first federal legislation intended to comprehensively combat homelessness. Title VII-B of the Act created the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, which authorizes the appropriation of federal funds to ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness…