Providence, RI – A new report released today by the National Center on Family Homelessness finds more than 1.5 million children are homeless annually in the United States—one in every 50 American children. America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness offers the first comprehensive state-by-state data on the status of homeless children and ranks the 50 states from best to worst, with Rhode Island receiving an overall rank of fourth best. The report urges federal and state action to end child homelessness and recommends how this can be done.

Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, applauded the work of the National Center on Family Homelessness as they released this groundbreaking report documenting the reality of homeless children in every state in our nation. “While the number of homeless children in Rhode Island is low compared to many states, we can all agree that not one Rhode Island child should be homeless. Children suffer long-term effects from sleeping in a shelter or in a car, in a campground or doubled up with family, friends or neighbors. Every child needs the stability of safe, affordable housing where they can grow, play and learn.”

According to the report, children experiencing homelessness have twice the rate of moderate to severe health conditions and emotional problems as middle class children. They struggle in school, with an average 16% lower proficiency in math and reading than other children, and an estimated graduation rate below 25%.

“Homeless children are scared, hungry, sick, isolated, and falling behind in school. Without decisive action, millions of children will carry the burden of homelessness for their entire lives,” said Ellen L. Bassuk, M.D., president of the National Center on Family Homelessness and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

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The report estimates that there were 797 homeless children in Rhode Island, based on data reported by school districts in 2005-2006 as part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Children requirement. Of these, 335 children were under age six, 372 children were in grades K-8, and 90 were high school youth. Bryant noted, “Because these numbers are based on school district reports on the numbers of homeless children known to them two years ago, they are likely to be underestimates of the extent of the problem in our state.Over the past year the number of people in Rhode Island who are unemployed or underemployed has increased and many people have lost their homes due to foreclosure – both homeowners and renters.” Rhode Island KIDS COUNT reports that based on the number of children who stayed at Rhode Island’s emergency shelters in 2008, there were 1,770 homeless children in Rhode Island (based on the 2008 Rhode Island Emergency Food and Shelter Board Survey). These numbers do not include homeless children living in other types of temporary situations (i.e. cars, abandoned buildings or with other families).

America’s Youngest Outcasts documents the extent of child homelessness, describes the plight of these children, profiles and ranks the states, and proposes solutions. The report presents several national data sets in one place for the first time, offering the clearest snapshot of child homelessness to date. The complete report and a 16-page summary document can be downloaded at www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org. Release of the report launches the Campaign to End Child Homelessness, an initiative of the National Center on Family Homelessness to bring together advocates, communities, families, policymakers, and others at local, state, and national levels to galvanize public and political will to prevent and end child homelessness.

In addition to the overall rank for Rhode Island noted above, other rankings provided in the report include Extent of Child Homelessness (Rhode Island ranks first); Child Well-Being (Rhode Island ranks seventh); and Risk for Child Homelessness, which includes a combination of extreme poverty, household structure, housing market factors and available benefits (Rhode Island ranks 25th).

As he released the report today on Capitol Hill, U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Pennsylvania), Chair of the Advisory Board to the Campaign to End Child Homelessness, stated, “This report shows the staggering reality that one in fifty children in America is homeless. I urge my fellow citizens to read this report and let the magnitude of this problem sink in. We must come together to help prevent even one child from wondering where he or she will lay their head at night.”

Bryant notes, “There are two current policy issues that are likely to increase family homelessness in 2009. Rhode Island has the highest foreclosure rate in New England. In addition, the policy changes that were made last year to change the Family Independence Program to the Rhode Island Works program, places the poorest children in our state at high risk for homelessness. The caseload of the Family Independence Program has decreased by more than 16% over the past year. Due to the change to Rhode Island Works, we expect to see an additional 3,200 families lose the critical safety net of cash assistance by the end of June of this year.”

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Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is a statewide children’s policy organization that works to improve the health, economic well-being, education, safety and development of Rhode Island’s children.

The National Center on Family Homelessness, founded in 1988, is the nation’s foremost authority on family homelessness, and the only national organization dedicated solely to helping homeless families. Through state-of-the-art research, program design, and public education, the National Center is committed to ending family homelessness in America. For more information on the National Center, please visit www.familyhomelessness.org.