- Homeless children a growing statistic, By Joseph Gidjunis, November 30, 2009, Courier-Post: “For the second time in Tracy Adkins’ life, she and her children are homeless. The 26-year-old has held several jobs, but she’s lost them in this recession. Rent remains expensive, as is every utility, she said. Now she and her two children, one 6, another 3, are sharing a room at the Anna Sample Complex in Camden, an in-demand shelter run by Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. Adkins’ 3-year-old attends preschool in Camden and her 6-year-old rides a bus to Woodbury Public Schools. Her daughter takes the bus at Woodbury’s expense to minimize separation and missed schooling. If feasible, federal law requires districts to do what is in the child’s best interests, despite the cost, officials said. More than a year into the national housing crisis and recession, Adkins’ family story isn’t rare. While some recovering economic indicators such as the country’s Gross Domestic Product and stock market offer hope that the financial crisis is on the rebound, state and local officials said they expect to see peak counts of homeless children this year…”
- Ind. sees more homeless students as economy slumps, By Deanna Martin (AP), December 1, 2009, Chicago Tribune: “The number of Indiana public school students who are homeless has jumped in recent years — and is expected to climb further — as high foreclosure and unemployment rates leave more parents struggling to provide stable homes for their children. During the 2005-2006 school year, Indiana public schools recorded 7,547 homeless students, according to an issue brief released Wednesday by the Indiana Youth Institute. The number jumped to 8,249 the following year and to 8,480 during the 2007-2008 school year — marking a 12 percent increase over two years. Those numbers do not include younger students who are not of school age or ‘unaccompanied youth’ who are especially difficult to count because they are living on their own and often do not seek help from shelters…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty