Housing & Homelessness

More than one million K-12 students in America are homeless today. Whether that means sleeping in a shelter or crashing on a family friend’s couch, homelessness has disastrous consequences for every aspect of a child’s life – health, nutrition, education. In fact, every time a child is forced to move, it has the same impact on educational progress as missing a month of school. But federal agencies don’t even have a uniform definition of “homeless” for children. First Focus advocates an honest assessment of the family homelessness problem in America and a renewed federal commitment to ensure that no American spends his or her childhood homeless.
Resources
HUD Homeless Data Don’t Add Up: Children and Youth Pay the Price
Jonny Yao | December 17, 2018 |
Public Schools Report Highest Number of Homeless Students on Record, While HUD Claims Reduction in Family and Youth Homelessness Washington, DC – Data released today …
First Focus Campaign for Children Releases Proactive Kids Agenda
Jonny Yao | December 13, 2018 |
Blueprint Shows How 116th Congress Can Act on the Best Interests of Children
The Proactive Kids Agenda for the 116th Congress
| December 13, 2018 |
Any policies that affect children should base their foundations on the best interests of the child.
Statement: Advocates Applaud Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Help Most Vulnerable Homeless Children and Youth
| July 24, 2018 |
Contacts: Simona Combi, Media Relations Director, simonac@firstfocus.org Barbara Duffield, Executive Director, Schoolhouse Connection, barbara@schoolhouseconnection.org Eric Masten, Director of Public Policy, National Network for Youth: …
Champions for Children 2017
| July 19, 2018 |
Our nation’s children face an array of problems, including poverty, violence, abuse, neglect, hunger, poor nutrition, education inequity, homelessness, lack of health coverage, infant and …
Members of Congress Who Advanced Children’s Issues Recognized by First Focus Campaign for Children
| July 19, 2018 |
July 19, 2018, Washington, D.C.—In a year marked by partisanship, several Members of Congress stood out as Champions and Defenders of children, according to …
Social Media Kit: 2017 Champions for Children Scorecard
Jonny Yao | July 19, 2018 |
First Focus Campaign for Children released its 2017 Champions Scorecard. In an attempt to recognize the lawmakers in the First Session of the 115th Congress …
Fact Sheet: Family First Prevention Services Act
Kristen Torres, Rricha Mathur (Former Staff) | March 9, 2018 |
The Family First Prevention Services Act was signed into law as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act on February 9, 2018. This act reforms …
New Groundbreaking Report Confirms High Prevalence of Youth Homelessness in the US
Cara Baldari | November 15, 2017 |
Advocates working to end youth homelessness have known for a long time that there are many more youth experiencing homelessness on their own than …
First Focus, Rep. Ellison Host Matthew Desmond to Discuss Kids & Families Facing Eviction
Ari Goldberg (Former Staff) | July 19, 2017 |
WASHINGTON–In a briefing on Capitol Hill today sponsored by First Focus and honorary co-host Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-5), Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond and …