Washington Post

washington postWhere the nation’s 2.5 million homeless children live

By Niraj Chokshi November 17, 2014
Nearly one in 30 children every year experience homelessness, according to a new study. And the problem is worst, on a per capita basis, in Kentucky.That finding is part of a comprehensive 130-page report released Monday by the National Center for Family Homelessness that not only explores child homelessness by state, but also the conditions that fuel it. The report, in which states are ranked by the well-being of their children, risks for child homelessness and policy efforts, will be presented to Congress this winter.The authors of the report found that an estimated 2.5 million children experience homelessness annually, continuing a steady rise from 2006 and 2010.

Child homelessness rates. (National Center on Family Homelessness)

 

Although the rate of child homelessness in Kentucky is the worst in the nation, at about one in 15 children, the group ranks Alabama the worst overall, when the four factors it considered are grouped together. That state ranks close to the bottom in the National Center for Family Homelessness’s rankings of homelessness, child well-being, risks for becoming homeless and policy.

Here’s a look at how each state ranked along each measure.

1. The big picture on child homelessness

Overall child homelessness ranking

Southern states dominate the bottom of the group’s overall ranking, with Alabama, Mississippi, California, Arkansas and New Mexico faring worst in NCFH’s composite ranking. Minnesota was the top-ranked state, followed by Nebraska, Massachusetts, Iowa and New Jersey.

Southern states dominate the bottom of the group’s overall ranking, with Alabama, Mississippi, California, Arkansas and New Mexico faring worst in NCFH’s composite ranking. Minnesota was the top-ranked state, followed by Nebraska, Massachusetts, Iowa and New Jersey.

2. Where child homelessness rates are worst

New York followed Kentucky with the highest rate of child homelessness. California was next, followed by Alabama and Oklahoma. Connecticut was home to the lowest rate of child homelessness, with a rate of about one per 140 children. New Jersey ranked second, followed by Rhode Island, Nebraska and Pennsylvania. Rates in those four states were about one in 71 or better.

The estimates for how many homeless children live in each state are based on two sets of federal data: an Education Department estimate of homeless children enrolled in public schools and a Census estimate of the child population overall.

Not all homeless children are living on the streets. The Education Department count — 1.3 million — not only includes those living in motels, trailer parks, abandoned buildings, cars, campgrounds, parks and public spaces, but an estimated 75 percent of homeless kids are living with relatives or friends. To arrive at the 2.5 million figure, the researchers applied that in-school estimate to the overall child population.

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