Homelessness Impacts Children’s Childhood Experience

Photo taken by Piron Guillaume

The early years of a child should be worry-free, allowing all kids the chance to simply be kids. Sadly, this is not the case for everyone. Where for many kids their biggest stressor is which toy they would like to play with, for others, it is where their family will find their next place to live. Families who are without a home have their own unique set of obstacles they have to overcome which in turn negatively affects a child’s experiences, and development.

Shelters serve as living arrangements for some homeless individuals. While they provide shelter, they do not make the task of parenting easy. Due to the public structure of a homeless shelter, parents are forced to discipline their children in the open which is not ideal for both parties (Perlman et al., 2012). This can be particularly frustrating when the shelter imposes specific rules that restrict the way a parent is allowed to correct their child’s behavior, children are left confused and parents feel undermined (Mayberry et al., 2014). Thus, the autonomy of these parents are compromised, an issue most parents never have to face. Nevertheless, effective parenting can be used to combat the negative effects of homelessness. For example, academic performance can improve if a parent does an adequate job of raising their child (Herbers et al., 2014).

Homelessness not only affects parents and their parenting techniques but also has a significant impact on the children they are raising. Being without a stable home is not ideal for a child and they are quite aware of this situation. Due to feelings of embarrassment children are likely to lie to their peers about their living situation (Baptista et al., 2017). Moreover, children who are homeless tend to miss school more frequently than those children who are not (Nolan et al., 2013), which, in turn, has an impact on their academic performance. There is an association between the number of school days missed and lower scores on reading and math SATs (Gottfried, 2010). Additionally, at the ages of 3 and 4, children who resided in homeless shelters often demonstrate lower reading levels than their peers of the same age (Brown et al., 2017). Unfortunately, a child who is not homeless is put at an advantage academically due to their socioeconomic background and living situation.

It is a hard pill to swallow that something that is beyond the child’s control has a significant impact on their future. Let this be a reminder to consider the disadvantages every individual faces due to circumstances beyond their control. We should treat these persons with empathy and lend a helping hand whenever we can. Consequently, it should be a call for action, educational institutions should take this pressing issue more seriously, ensuring that these children’s needs are met, and their academic goals are achieved.

The simple fact is that a shelter cannot replace what a stable home can provide a child. However, not all is lost. As long as a child has positive support systems in their lives they may be able to gain resilience and adaptive techniques. Prolonged stress, however, can conflict with this process.

References

Baptista, I., Benjaminsen, L., Geertsema, V. B., & Pleace, N. (2017). Family homelessness in europe: 7 eoh comparative studies on homelessness. European Observatory on Homelessness, (7). https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/125725/1/Comparative_Studies_7_Family_Homelessness.pdf

Brown, S. R., Shinn, M., & Khadduri, J. (2017). Well-being of young children after experiencing homelessness (Report No. 2017-06). Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/private/pdf/255741/homefambrief.pdf

Gottfried, M. A. (2010). Evaluating the relationship between student attendance and achievement in urban elementary and middle schools: An instrumental variables approach. American Educational Research Journal, 47(2), 434–465. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831209350494

Herbers, J. E., Cutuli, J. J., Monn, A. R., Narayan, A. J., & Masten, A. S. (2014). Trauma, adversity, and parent–child relationships among young children experiencing homelessness. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42(7), 1167–1174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9868-7

Mayberry, L. S., Shinn, M., Benton, J. G., & Wise, J. (2014). Families experiencing housing instability: The effects of housing programs on family routine and risks. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 84(1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0098946

Nolan, J. R., Cole, T., Wroughton, J., Clayton-Code, K. P., & Riffe, H. A. (2013). Assessment of risk factors for truancy of children in grades K-12 using survival analysis. Journal of At-Risk Issues, 17(2), 23–30.

Perlman, S., Cowan, B., Gewirtz, A., Haskett, M., & Stokes, L. (2012). Promoting positive parenting in the context of homelessness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(3), 402–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01158.x