Homelessness In The United States

Homelessness has been a problem in the United States for centuries. When an individual thinks of a homeless person, most likely the image of an old male of any race wearing ragged clothing and carrying a cardboard sign comes to mind. Surprisingly, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness, a typical sheltered homeless family is comprised of a mother in her late twenties and two children. The homeless community is very vast and includes 2.3 to 2.5 million individuals of all races. Homelessness can be a result of many factors. Some examples include: deinstitutionalization, mental illness or chronic depression, public assistance benefits failing to keep pace with the cost of living, domestic violence or inadequate income (pg.353).

Title VII was the program that referred to education of homeless children. This program was amended three separate times. In 1990, the McKinney act was amended to require states to eliminate enrollment barriers, provide school access and support for academic success for students experiencing homelessness (U.S Department of Education). In 1994, the McKinney act added preschool services, more parental input and emphasis on interagency collaboration. According to the US Department of Education, in 2002, the act was reauthorized by Title X, Part C of Bush’s No Child Left Behind. As a part of this act it required all school districts to appoint a local lesion to ensure the law is implemented effectively at the local level. By these changes being implemented, it ensured that the act had a strong chance to positively impact the current and future

One main goal of the policy is to make sure homeless students are not separated from other students, have access to education and services to assist in helping them achieve the same academic achievement on standardized tests as other students. There are four mandatory measures that states are required to implement to eradicate enrollment barriers. These four include: Developing strategies to overcome enrollment delays resulting from lack of records, prohibiting the segregation of homeless children and youth, assisting LEA liaisons and Addressing transportation barriers (Federal Register). Under the first step, state educational agencies have to prepare a state plan that addresses the states strategy for addressing enrollment delays because of lack of immunization and medical records, residency requirements, and lack of birth certificate (Federal Reserve). According to the Federal Reserve, under the second step, the state must plan to adopt policies and practices to ensure homeless youth are not stigmatized or isolated for their homelessness. The third step involves the state educational agency making sure the local educational agency designates appropriate staff to serve as the liaison for the homeless children. Social workers within schools are usually the ideal candidates. The goal of the liaison is to make sure each homeless child has a full opportunity to succeed. The last step