Homelessness and Children
Last month we touched on homelessness and adults. This month, I wanted to touch on homelessness and children. I work as a foster family liaison here in the state of Kentucky. This means that I help foster parents on their journey to care for foster children. My job is very directly tied to homelessness in children.
The reality is that foster care is a world where kids go because they do not have a safe space to sleep. Being homeless as an adult is so different than being homeless as a child. Imagine, for a second, that you are 8 years old again. Your parents are kicked out of their house. Suddenly, you are sleeping in the park. There is no housing, so your family has to figure out what to do. This homeless child does not directly end up in the foster care system. There should be, first, a process to find housing for the whole family together.
That first step of the process was addressed in a previous article I did this year called “Finding Shelter”. One of the hardest things to do is find housing for a family as a whole. Typically, shelters want to keep men and women separate. If you have a whole family, it can be extremely difficult to find housing. However, there are resources.
The first place that comes to mind, for me, is a place in Waukesha, Wisconsin called Family Promise. During my time as a social worker in Wisconsin, I referred several families with kids around 8 years old and younger. When I brought them to Family Promise, they were taken to a location where they could lounge during the day. It had computers set up, a place to shower, food, and place to play. This was the place to be throughout the day - as parents looked for jobs and they waited for the night.
The unique aspect of this program was their partnership with churches. They would have a set amount of nights a week with different churches. A place would be set up to sleep and the church would provide food for the families. As I stated before - this is how I saw the program run years ago. It may have evolved into a new process since then. I thought this system was highly effective at helping a child and their family know they are loved and supported by the community. It also reminds everyone that homelessness should be temporary. The goal should always be to have safe, long - term housing for a child.
Follow along next month, as I dive further into this scenario of a homeless child - if there isn’t both a mother and father present. I hope these stories inspire you to meet people where they are at and appreciate everyone’s housing journey is unique.