Ending Child Homelessness in Georgia by Georgia Alliance to End Homelessness

GEORGIA ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS, INC.

Georgia CAMPAIGN

THE

NATIONAL

CENTER

Family Homelessness

Acknowledgement: This Plan and the Georgia Campaign to End Child Homelessnessare funded in large part by the generous support of the Oak Foundation. We extend our deep appreciation for their significant contributions and leadership in preventing and ending child and family homelessnessin Georgia. ÂŠ The National

Center on Family Homelessness, 2011. www.familyhomelessness.org.

Design: Fassino/Design: www.fassinodesign.com.This Homelessness, Inc. We encourage The National

Plan was written

you to use the information

Center on Family Homelessness.

primarily

www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org. by the staff of The National

Photo credits: John Soares: www.johnsoares.com.

Center on Family Homelessness and the Georgia Alliance to End

in the Plan, and ask that you cite it as follows: Georgia Plan to End Child Homelessness. (2011). Needham, MA:

Georgia Plan To End Child Homelessness Large numbers of families and children experience homelessness in Georgia. However, current policy, planning, and program responses are unable to meet the need. The Georgia Campaign to End Child Homelessness has created this Plan to help increase awareness, inform policies, and improve programs and services with the ultimate goal of preventing and ending child and family homelessness. A recent report, America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness, ranks Georgia 49 out of the 50 states on the problem of child hornelessness.' This ranking takes into account the extent of child hornelessness, child well-being, risk for child homelessness, and state policies and plans to address the issue. At the time of the report's publication, approximately 58,300 children and youth were homeless in Georgia during the 2005-2006 school year." The number of homeless children and youth was unusually high because of the 2005 Hurricanes. During the following school year (2006-2007), the number of homeless children and youth in the state decreased to approximately 24,100.3 However, by the 2008-2009 school year, that number had grown to approximately 41,500 homeless children and youth.' This represents a 72 percent increase in the number of homeless children and youth in Georgia from school year 2006-2007 to 2008-2009. There is little doubt that the economic downturn has led to the increase in the numbers of homeless children and families. Most of these children are not found living on the streets. Instead, they are living with their parents and siblings in shelters; in unsafe, substandard housing; or are doubled-up out of financial necessity with family or friends in overcrowded, unstable situations. Childhood poverty is of grave concern in Georgia, with approximately 22 percent of children living below the federal poverty level according to 2009 U.s. Census data.' The situation is even worse for non-Caucasian families. A disproportionate number of children in Georgia who identify as Black or African American are living in poverty (33 percent) when compared to White children living in poverty (11 percent)." WWW.HOMELESSCHILDRENAMERICA.ORG

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Geor la For the complete Report Card (including sources), please visit:

Number of homeless children (58,397):

www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org

2.38% homelessout of all children

,.. I O

12% homelessamong children living in poverty

Who are Georgia's homeless children?

Age:

47TH

Under 6 years

24,527

GradesK-8 (enrolled)

26,329

Race/Ethnicity

Grades9-12 (enrolled)

7,541

living in poverty. Not available for homeless children.

TOTAL

* Among children

58,397

Housing and Income

• • • •

White (29%) Black (56%) Asian (1%) Native American (0%) Hispanic(14%)

Food Security

Minimum wage:

$6.55

Average wage for renters:

$13.34

Hourly wage neededto afford 2-BRapartment:

$13.98

1 in 20 children in Georgia do not know where they will get their next meal.

Homelessness and Children's Health Studiescomparing homelesschildren to those of middle-income families Middle-income children in state

25%--~------------------------------------------------------

• •

Homeless children

15%----------------------------------------------------------

20%---------------------------------------------------------10%---5% 0% Overall Health Problems

Asthma

Traumatic Stress

Emotional Disturbance

Educational Achievement Readingand math proficiency using the FederalNAEPstandard

•

All students NAEP scores

•

Homeless children NAEP scores

HIGH

60~ __ ~E~L~E~M~E~N~T~A~R~Y~SC~H~O~O~L~S __ ~

SCHOOLS

50-------------40--------------

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School lunch children NAEP scores ND: No Data

Read'mg

. Mat hernatics

Reading

Mathematics

HS Graduation Rate for Homeless Children: <25%

~ Long-Term Economic Consequences of Not Graduating From High School

Difference in lifetime earnings: HSdegree vs. without

In lifetime earnings and contributions to society

Number of homelessHSstudents in Georgia

$200,000

Net lifetime increasedcontributions to society with HSdegree (per student).. $127,000 High school graduation rate for homelesschildren

7,541 < 25%

~~L_G_A_I_O_ss __in__lif_e_ti_m_e __ea_r_n_in_g_s_._._._._._._._._ .._._._._._._._._ .._._._._._._._._ .._._._._._$_1._1_b_i_lI_io_n~ ~; GA loss in contributions to society $700 million

Polic & Plannin ~

• •

Income/Wages At minimum wage a full-time worker earns 47% of what is needed to afford a 2-BR at FMR.

Housing Policies ~

11 R

Emergency shelter units for homeless families

383

Transitional housing units for homeless families

720

Permanent supportive housing units

421

Total capacity

Per month, 260% of TANF benefit would need to be spent on rent to afford a 2-BR at FMR.

1,524

Wait List Priorities:

Does GA have a State Earned Income Tax Credit?

§].

Does Georgia have a State Housing Trust Fund? Section 8

Public Housing

Homelessness . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Section 8 wait list: 92% are extremely low income families Public Housing wait list: 92% are extremely low income families

Child Care Average annual cost for child care (4-year old) .. $4,025

Does GA prioritize children who are homeless when distributing child care vouchers? . . . . . . .

Food Security Policies

% uninsured children

12.5%

% eligible children enrolled in food stamps

% total Medicaid expenditures spent on children

24.1 %

% schools with school breakfast program

[8 67% 95.6%

(among schools who provide school lunch)

Infants

200%

Children ages 1-5

133%

Children ages 6-19

100%

State Planning

01-

N/A

Health Policies

Medicaid eligibility by % of Federal Poverty Level

t/-

Is it refundable?

Families use child care vouchers for: Employment: 74%. Training and education: 14% Employment AND training/education:

§].

Domestic violence. . . . . . . ..

GEORGIA

tJJ

Does Georiga have an interagency council on homelessness?

Education Barriers reported by McKinney-Vento subgrantees: Eligibility

69.6%

School Selection. . . ..

What 10-year Planning Efforts Have Taken Place?

Immunizations

69.6%

School Records ....

69.6%

At the time of this publication, no statewide ten-year planning efforts have taken place in Georgia.

Other Med. Records.. 69.6%

Transportation....

69.6%

Other Barrers

69.6%

Addition funding allocated to schools for education of homeless State Planning Ranking for Georgia

II EARLY STAGES OF PLANNING

INADEQUATE PLANNING

children (per child): $34

MODERATE PLANNING

EXTENSIVE PLANNING

Dedicated state funding for homeless education?

*GEORGIA'S

RANKS RANK

Extent of child homelessness

Child well-being

Risk for child homelessness

State policy and planning

Inadequate

Overall Rank

'States ranked 1-50 with 1 being best and 50 worst.

For the complete Report Card (including sources), please visit: www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org

Georgia Campaign The Georgia Campaign to End Child Homelessness seeks to galvanize the public and political will to end this crisis. Because it is unacceptable for any child in Georgia to be homeless for even one night, we are working with families, service providers, religious organizations, local and state officials, advocates, and citizens across the state to: â&#x20AC;˘

Tell the people of Georgia that thousands of children are homeless here. They are scared, sick, and hungry, and there are things that can be done to help.

â&#x20AC;˘

Educate our leaders about effective solutions that can eradicate child homelessness in our state.

â&#x20AC;˘

Alleviate the suffering of homeless children by promoting high quality supports and services as we implement a plan to bring them home.

Definition of Homelessness This Plan usesthe definition of homelessness contained in a subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and adopted by the U.S. Department of Education.' The definition includes children and youth who are: sharing the housing of other persons due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as "doubled-up"); living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to a lack of alternative accommodations; living in emergency or transitional shelters; abandoned in hospitals; awaiting foster care placement; using a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above .

.Georgia: Where We Are Now Across the United States, more families than ever are feeling the strain of the current economic recession and are trying to stretch their limited resources to cover basic necessities. Family and child homelessness is on the rise in all parts of the country, and Georgia mirrors these national trends. From December 2007 to December 2010, the unemployment rate in Georgia increased from 5.1 to 10.2 percent." Families that were once living comfortably, now find themselves tightening their budgets and using their savings to stay afloat. With the economy continuing to flounder, new job opportunities are very limited, and people are staying unemployed longer. Georgia has also experienced an increase in the number of home foreclosures." Foreclosures of both owner-occupied and renter-occupied homes can put families and children at serious risk of becoming homeless. Accessing and maintaining affordable housing is paramount to preventing homelessness. In Georgia, per federal law, the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.'? However, no single person earning minimum wage anywhere in Georgia can afford a two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (FMR).l1FMR ranges from just under $550 per month in more rural parts of the state, to $815 per month in Savannah, to almost $912 per month in the Atlanta metro reqion." To afford the average two-bedroom apartment in Georgia, a person would need to make $15.18 per hour."

Unfortunately, earning a decent living is often not enough. Limited employment opportunities, income, and availability of affordable housing are all contributing factors to child and family homelessness. Similar to many states, there is a shortage of affordable housing in Georgia. Of the family and domestic violence shelters in the state, most are located in or near the urban centers. There is also a very limited supply of transitional housing and permanent supportive housing units for families. As is common in many states, Georgia has faced budget shortfalls for several years, and the future is uncertain. Important decisions need to be made to ensure that resources are allocated to those most in need of support and services. The 41,500 children experiencing homelessness in Georgia are the most vulnerable population in the state. Now, more than ever, it is time to make sure their needs are being met and that not one child is left behind.

Thoughts From Around The State Since November 2009, the Georgia Campaign has met with hundreds of community leaders, service providers, advocates, homeless parents, and policymakers to discuss ways to prevent and end child and family homelessness and to gather recommendations from around the state about how the Campaign can bring about lasting change. The information gathered during this process has been used to develop and direct this Plan. There are many common issuesand needs acrossthe state. The most pressing needs facing homeless children and families include a shortage of safe and affordable housing, limited employment opportunities that provide a livable wage, and difficulty accessing services due to limited availability and lack of reliable transportation. The importance of providing quality educational opportunities for children, youth, and adults experiencing and at risk of homelessness as well as the need to increase accessto safe and affordable child care were highlighted. Many quality organizations and providers are working hard to address family homelessness throughout Georgia, but their efforts are constrained by limited funding. A large number of people have voiced that their organizations struggle with inadequate funding and support. As a result, the needs of children, youth, and families are going unmet due to a lack of permanent housing options and supportive services. Community leaders, service providers, and advocates are urging the state to recognize child and family homelessness as a crisis and to prioritize the issue in upcoming legislative sessions,budget negotiations, state agency work, homeless continuum of care networks, and community systems of care.

Need for Long-Term Stability Melissa is 31 years-old and the mother of three children. Her youngest son, Joshua, has special needs and has been diagnosed with autism. Melissa and her young family were evicted from their apartment when the building where they lived was condemned for numerous building code violations that the landlord refused to repair. She is very concerned about Joshua because routines are extremely important to his well-being. Moving from shelter to shelter after maxing out time limits at each has been hard for all of her children, especially Joshua. Melissa seesthe stress of being homeless taking a toll on her children, and she is concerned about what will happen when they have to move again.

WWW.HOMELESSCHILDRENAMERICA.ORG

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Learning From Experience The Georgia Campaign reached out to homeless parents living at shelters to discuss how to best help them achieve permanent housing and stability. The parents were asked about their experiences being homeless and how homelessness affected their children. The information gathered has been incorporated into this Plan and its recommendations. Nearly all mothers experiencing homelessness have histories of severe violent victimization, and many are survivors of domestic violence. In fact, 92 percent of homeless mothers have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse, and for 63 percent, this abuse was perpetrated by an intimate partner." Discussionswith Georgia parents mirrored these national statistics, with the majority identifying domestic violence as the main cause of their homelessness. Survivors of domestic violence are often forced to make immediate and unplanned decisions and have limited resources to obtain safe shelter for themselves and their children, a common experience for the parents we talked to. A majority of the homeless parents we spoke with are single mothers working entry-level, minimum wage jobs that offer little potential for advancement. In fact, many felt they could not depend on their jobs over the long-run because the instability of their living situations was affecting their performance and attendance. Safe, affordable housing is almost nonexistent for these parents, and when they finally find potential housing, the waiting lists are often very long. The parents talked about how difficult it is to afford housing, food, and other necessities for their families when making minimum wage. One day out of work with a sick child or because of an ice storm can put great strain on a family's budget and can undermine their plans and create chaos. The parents said they and their children are dealing with many traumatic experiences and mental health issues. They need and want consistent counseling as well as help identifying available jobs, transportation, and affordable housing resources. It is very difficult for parents to find child care services and resources. The parents also discussed the extremely high cost of child care; the rates are unaffordable for single, low-income, low-skilled parents and make it hard for them to afford to work. The parents also indicated that the services their children receive at school are important, but expressed confusion about how to take advantage of the services offered to homeless students by the federal government.

Child and Family Homelessness: The Impact Families become homeless for many reasons, including a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, limited access to resources and supports, health and mental health issues, and experiences of violence. The process of becoming homeless involves the loss of belongings, reassuring routines, community, and sense of safety. Families experiencing homelessness are under considerable stress. They may move often, doubling up for a time in overcrowded situations with relatives or friends. Others stay in motel rooms or sleep in cars or campgrounds. Often, families must split up in order to find shelter." Families must quickly adjust to difficult and uncomfortable circumstances that are often noisy, chaotic, unsafe, overcrowded, and lack privacy. Moving out of homelessness and into permanent housing requires resources often beyond the reach of many families. Homelessness is a devastating experience that significantly impacts the health and well-being of adults and children." The prevalence of traumatic stress in the lives of families who are homeless is extraordinarily hiqh." Often members of homeless families have experienced on-going trauma in the form of childhood abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and community violence, as well as the trauma associated with poverty and the loss of home, safety, and sense of security. These experiences may significantly impact how children and adults think, feel, behave, relate to others, and cope. 6

Homeless children often live in chaotic and unsafe environments. Dramatic life changes such as moving from place to place, family separations, and placement in foster care are common. The level of fear and unpredictability in the lives of homeless children can be extremely damaging to their growth and development. Children experiencing homelessness are four times more likely to show delayed development and twice as likely to have learning disabilities." Homeless children demonstrate significant delays in gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and social and personal qrowth." Within a single year, 97 percent of homeless children move up to three times, 40 percent attend two different schools, and 28 percent attend three or more different schools." One-third will repeat a grade in school." Homeless children are 16 percent less proficient at reading and math than their peers." Fewer than 25 percent of homeless children graduate from high school." The constant barrage of stressful and traumatic experiences has profound effects on their development and ability to learn, ultimately affecting their successin life. Children experiencing homelessness are more likely than other children to suffer from acute and chronic illnesses. Homeless children go hungry at twice the rate of other children." Children who are homeless have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems, including high rates of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, shyness,withdrawal, and aqqression." Many worry that something bad will happen to their family members." More than one-half are frequently concerned about guns and fire." These factors combine to create a life-altering experience that inflicts profound and lasting scars.

Overcrowded

and Overwhelmed

Jessicais a 39 year-old mother of two sons age 13 and 14 and a daughter age five. They have been homeless for over a year and have been on waiting lists for shelters that will accept teenage boys. After fleeing domestic violence, Jessicaand her children lived with relatives in an overcrowded two-bedroom apartment and were asked to leave shortly after moving in. They had no choice but to live in their car until finally being accepted into a shelter. Jessicafeels her family is stable now for the first time in awhile, but she fears the trauma of being homeless has affected her children. They attend school regularly, but they are behind in their studies and are having discipline problems. Jessicais hopeful for the future, but she sees a long road ahead before her family can be in a home of their own.

Homeless mothers struggle with poor physical health compared to the general population. Over one-third have a chronic physical health condition." For example, mothers who are homeless have ulcers at four times the rate of other women, and higher rates of asthma, anemia, and hypertension than in the general population." Mothers experiencing homelessness struggle with mental health and substance use issues." High rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD)among homeless and extremely poor women are well-documented." In addition, current rates of depression in homeless moms (52 percent) are four to five times greater than in women overall (12 percent)." As a result of these challenges, women who are homeless and have experienced chronic trauma have considerable difficulty accessing help and support for themselves and their children.

Striving for Economic Independence

The social costs of family homelessness are also significant. These include the more immediate costs of shelters, Medicaid, and health care for treating acute and chronic health conditions; mental health care and substance abuse treatment; police intervention; incarceration; and foster care. It costs taxpayers more money to place a family in emergency shelter than in permanent homes." There are also "opportunity costs," representing the lost opportunities that stable housing would provide in terms of greater educational attainment, better health, stable employment, higher wages, and increased income. These carry not only personal, but social benefits through increased productivity, increased ability to purchase goods and services, and decreased unemployment and disability compensation.

Mark is unemployed, and Nadia works part-time cleaning houses. Nadia and Mark and their three children had to leave the house they lived in for six years after they noticed their family was feeling sick, and it was determined that they were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. A faulty heating system was to blame, and not having any financial resources to fix it, the family had no choice but to move out. They lived in an extended-stay hotel, but funds soon ran out and left them with nowhere to go. They are currently living in one room at a homeless shelter, but are grateful to have that space. Mark will be starting a new job soon, and between his and Nadia's paychecks, they are hoping to move out of the shelter and into an apartment of their own within six months. WWW.HOMELESSCHILDRENAMERICA.ORG

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The Georgia Campaign makes the following recommendations to begin to lay the path toward preventing and ending child and family homelessness throughout the state. The recommendations have been developed in response to information collected from stakeholders and relevant data sources. The recommendations are based upon a set of underlying

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Encourage participation in Georgia Campaign activities. Conduct meetings and focus groups annually to identify regional and statewide issuesthat affect children, youth, and families who are homeless. Facilitate collaboration and information exchange between key stakeholders and families experiencing homelessness. Provide ongoing opportunities for involvement in all Campaign activities.

Inform state and local policies and plans to address the needs of homeless children and families.

assumptions: (1) Ending child homelessness in Georgia is urgent and possible; (2) There must a stable, fully-funded continuum of housing options and services for children and their families; (3) All programs that serve homeless children and their families must be of the highest quality; and (4) Strong, on-going coordination and collaboration among all stakeholders is required to ensure that resources are distributed effectively and strategically. These efforts must be coordinated across traditional

areas of practice and

government structures to provide an effective network of support and opportunity

for children and families, so that not

one child will be homeless in Georgia for even one night.

Increase public awareness of the scope and 'impact of homelessness on children and ·families. Raise awareness of the problem of child, youth, and family homelessness in Georgia among the public, families, communities, service providers, advocates,

Increase coordination and collaboration among state agencies, service providers, community leaders, elected officials, and families to ensure a statewide, sustained, coordinated policy response to prevent and end child, youth, and family homelessness. • Develop and implement a Ten-Year Plan to End Child, Youth, and Family Homelessness throughout the state of Georgia. The Ten-Year Plan to End Child, Youth, and Family Homelessness should be developed by the Georgia Interagency Council on Homelessness, Georgia Department of Human Services, Georgia Alliance to End Homelessness, and Multi-Disciplinary Team on Homeless Youth in conjunction with a variety of stakeholders including state agencies and leaders, homeless service providers and advocates, educational leaders, families who have experienced homelessness, state and local elected officials, and others working on issuesthat affect children, youth, and families. The Ten-Year Plan should be reviewed and updated annually, with information provided to the Georgia General Assembly and public about progress made towards meeting its goals and objectives.

religious institutions, non-profit organizations, schools,

Ensure the adoption of the federal definition of homelessness used by the U.S. Department of Education in all state funded homeless programs in Georgia. This definition includes children and families who are living temporarily in hotels, motels, and with others because of loss of housing or economic hardship as well as those who are living in emergency shelters, on the street, and in places not designated for regular sleeping accommodations.

early childhood and child care organizations, businesses, philanthropic organizations, policymakers, government and elected officials, and the media throughout •. Share information about the:

the state.

)}

Scope, causes, and costs of child, youth, and family homelessness in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Georgia.

)}

Solutions to child and family homelessness as well as how to get involved and take action.

)}

Available resources to help those experiencing homelessness.

Use traditional and social media outlets to increase the number of stories and reports about the issue and its solutions.

Establish "Kids Helping Kids" programs in schools and community programs to teach children and youth about family homelessness and provide them with opportunities to make an impact.

•

Establish a committee in the Georgia General Assembly to address the state's budget and investment in homelessness as well as applicable laws, standards of care, and other issuesthat impact children, youth, and families who are homeless.

Increase accessto quality, safe, affordable housing for

Improve accessto educational opportunities that will ensure

families with children as well as unaccompanied youth who

successfor children and youth who are homeless. • Provide dedicated state funding so that all homeless students have accessto education and succeed in school.

are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Georgia. Ensure the availability of a comprehensive range of affordable housing options for families with children as well as youth including permanent, transitional, supportive, and temporary emergency shelter with a triage component to ensure a placement that best meets the family's or unaccompanied youth's needs. Expand the supply of affordable housing units and include a priority for homeless families with children, survivors of domestic violence, and homeless youth through the State Housing Trust Fund and other potential resources. This includes transitional, supportive, and permanent housing as well as public housing and rental units.

Prioritize homeless families in all affordable housing programs including waiting lists for Section 8.

•

Protect renters by assuring the continuity of voucher assistance for rental properties in foreclosure. Improve discharge planning from foster care and juvenile Justice placements, hospitals, veteran medical centers, psychiatric and mental health facilities, and corrections facilities and programs to make better connections to housing, education, job search, health, and mental health services with supports. Provide state funding to supplement the federally funded Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) for rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in order to help Georgians correct deficiencies in existing homes or reconstruct homes in a state of disrepair. Establish a Georgia Tenants Association to educate tenants about their rights and to mediate with landlords. Prevent homelessness after natural disasters by integrating the needs of children and families who are homeless across all local and state disaster management plans, including those who were homeless before the disaster and those who are homeless as a result of a disaster. Ensure special attention and individualized treatment to address the mental and behavioral health needs of children who become or remain homeless in the aftermath of a disaster.

Provide state funding for services that address barriers to education for students in school districts not currently funded by federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act dollars and supplement inadequate levels of McKinney-Vento Act funding for students in other districts.

•

Provide information and technical assistance about the education provisions of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to parents, homeless service providers, domestic violence programs, Head Start programs, colleges and universities, the public, and others working and volunteering with children, youth, and families who are homeless.

Prevent families, youth, and children from becoming

•

Support and partner with the Georgia Department of Education in increasing the number of homeless children and youth identified and receiving services under the education section of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and in providing training opportunities for school personnel to learn how to identify homeless students and respond to their needs.

Develop affordable housing solutions by partnering with the Georgia State Trade Association of Non-Profit Developers (GSTAND)to convert homes that have been foreclosed on and that are vacant to affordable housing.

homeless. Prevent homelessness by providing timely short and medium term financial assistance, legal and mediation services, housing courts, and supportive services for households who are about to lose their housing and for families and youth who are homeless.

Provide state funding for early childhood education and public pre-school programs, including beforeand after-school programs. Prioritize accessfor children who are homeless.

•

Provide state-funded rental assistance so that each household pays no more than 30 percent of their income for housing for homeless families as well as youth who are transitioning out of foster care and the juvenile justice system or who have no place to live. •

Provide the supportive services that children, youth, and families who are homeless need to achieve stability. • Increase the number of homeless children, youth, and families who have health insurance and accessto quality health, dental, and mental health services through targeted outreach and expedited eligibility review. Prepare for 2014 when the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will expand Medicaid coverage to all adults and children under 133 percent of the federal poverty level. •

Encourage community mental health centers to conduct outreach and provide prioritized, targeted prevention and early intervention services to homeless children, youth, and families who are at increased risk for mental health issuesdue to residential instability. Provide child care vouchers and prioritize use by homeless families and survivors of domestic violence.

•

Facilitate accessand improve coordination among government services for low-income families such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Women, Infants, and Children Program; Medicaid; child care assistance; and other income and work supports and services. A variety of strategies should be used such as targeted outreach, fast track, mobile, and one-stop processes based on the specific needs of various regions around the state. Increase the food security of homeless children, youth, and families by improving accessto the federal nutrition programs {School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Summer Food Service Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and The Emergency Food Assistance www.HoMELESSCHILDRENAMERICA.oRG

Program). Take advantage of all possible federal waivers and administrative procedures to accomplish this goal.

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Remove barriers on a statewide basis to obtaining identification cards by expanding the definition of "proof of residency" to include statements from homeless shelter staff, social service providers, and government agency staff who will certify residency. Eliminate inconsistencies on a statewide basis.

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Supply free transportation alternatives to homeless families and youth. For those who have accessto public transportation, expand hours.

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Examine public transportation infrastructure needs in underserved areas and explore innovative solutions such as shuttle transportation to facilitate employment search and accessto work. Focus on solutions for rural areas.

Establish a refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit. Improve efforts to assist homeless, single parents in accessing child support payments. Improve the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program by: »

Expanding outreach and education efforts to ensure all eligible families are enrolled in TANF with a priority on enrolling homeless families;

Reconciling sanctions and providing exemptions to . time limits for families who are homeless;

Using TANF funds to help address housing needs of families, including providing short and medium term rental assistance, eviction prevention services, security deposits, and first month's rent;

Expanding TANF support of employment services and work supports including clothing and transportation; and

Increasing the amount the state contributes toward the monthly payment for eligible families.

Prevent children and youth in foster care and unaccompanied youth who choose to age out of foster care between the ages

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of 18 and 21 from becoming homeless. • Establish a housing and homelessness office under the Department of Human Resources' Division of Family and Children Servicesto respond to the housing needs of children and youth in foster care. Avoid placing children in foster care based solely on their parents' or guardians' housing status. Instead, provide families without homes or those at risk of homelessness with safe, affordable housing utilizing a "Housing First" approach.

•

Partner with the Georgia Foster Parents Association to ensure all foster parents have accessto appropriate training, services, and support that will enable them to create safe, healthy, and consistent environments for the children in their care.

Collect data on housing status to increase knowledge of the scope of homelessness. Collect housing status data from all program beneficiaries participating in government funded programs through a common data standard and design a way for data collection systems to integrate information and data. Develop a comprehensive, statewide data collection and analysis system to improve the identification of homeless families, youth, and children, to ensure the provision of appropriate services, and to provide the capacity to evaluate program effectiveness.

•

Promote the connection of youth in foster care with permanent families and adult mentors that are trained to link youth with the services, supports, and skills that will enable their successful transition to adulthood.

•

Maintain extended foster care, adoption assistance, independent living services, and kinship guardianship assistance to all youth up to the age of 21.

•

Develop comprehensive, individualized, client-focused plans for children and youth exiting foster care that will promote age appropriate development in safe and supportive communities.

•

Train public child welfare agency staff on housing and homelessness issues. Train independent living coordinators on techniques for including housinq in the federally required transition plan. .

Increase the amount of income that parents have to support their families. • Index the minimum wage to inflation. 10

Establish a data quality committee to ensure the necessary data are being collected statewide to monitor the progress towards ending child, youth, and family homelessness.

Continue to allow youth 18 or older the option of reentering foster care after exit. Continue to claim federal funds until age 21 through the Title IV-Estate plan for the following categories of youth: those exiting foster care at 16 to guardianship or adoption and/or youth who remain in foster care from ages 18-21.

Ensure that all shelters serving homeless families report to the comprehensive, statewide data collection and analysis system in order to create an accurate picture of homelessness in Georgia.

•

Add specific questions about housing status and homelessness to Georgia's version of the Center for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Improve program design and service delivery to meet the unique needs of homeless children and families. Ensure accessto high quality services and care for families, children, and youth who are homeless. • Implement the "Basic Principles of Care for Families and Children Experiencing Homelessness," outlined by The National Center on Family Homelessness,within all programs serving homeless families, youth, and children. Provide community-wide intake and assessment strategies that are coordinated with homeless continuums of care and systems of care as well as comprehensive, individualized case management services that match individual needs with available services.

----------------------------------------------------~------

Provide training and technical assistance on the development of a range of affordable housing options with a focus on implementing the "Housing First" model when appropriate. Establish a specialized training program for homeless service providers about the intersection between domestic violence and homelessness and about how to address all causes of homelessness.

•

Ensure that all programs serving homeless children, youth, and families are trauma-informed and recoveryoriented.

•

Ensure that housing and service programs serving children who are homeless have accessto age appropriate child development resources, activities, curricula, counseling, and tutoring.

•

Increase coordination and collaboration among community organizations working to support families, youth, and children who are homeless. • Provide opportunities for families, continuum of care members, homeless shelter staff, domestic violence shelter staff, homeless education liaisons, United Way's 211 staff, child welfare workers, youth and veterans' agency staff, and others in regions throughout the state to network, coordinate, and collaborate to improve services for homeless children, youth, and families. •

Create meaningful opportunities for homeless and domestic violence shelter staff to collaborate and coordinate policies and procedures to increase safe accessto housing and shelter for homeless families and survivors of domestic violence.

•

Partner with private early childhood education, preschool, and child care programs to increase accessfor children who are homeless.

Work to ensure the full, statewide implementation of the Violence Against Women Act's housing protections for survivors of domestic violence. •

Encourage eligible organizations to apply for federal grant funds from the u.s. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women to expand transitional housing services and financial assistance for survivors of domestic violence.

•

Improve accessto mental health and substance abuse services for homeless children, youth, and families by increasing partnerships between homeless service providers and community mental health centers.

•

Utilize home visiting programs to provide early prevention and intervention as well as parenting supports to homeless children and their families.

•

Partner with anti-hunger and food security advocates in Georgia to increase accessto healthy food.

Provide educational and job training opportunities

Provide professional development opportunities

Provide financial literacy and credit counseling courses to prevent homelessness and foreclosures. •

)}

Offer a series of training opportunities on trauma, its impact on those who have experienced homelessness, and how to provide trauma-informed care.

)}

Build skills and enhance organizational capacity by providing training on: developmental needs of homeless children, case management, motivational interviewing, self-care, consumer involvement, leadership development, organizational and program development, and community engagement.

for

Assist youth and parents who are homeless in accessing job opportunities by increasing collaboration between homeless service providers and "Work First" Programs.

Ensure job development and training strategies focus attention on people who are experiencing or who are most at-risk of homelessness.

for people

working to support homeless children, youth, and families. • Provide training and technical assistance to people who work in emergency shelters, schools, child care programs, health and mental health care facilities, veterans' services, youth organizations, rural organizations, and other places where children, youth, and families who are homeless receive services.

unaccompanied youth and parents who are homeless. Expand accessto education opportunities for homeless youth and parents through GED, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and higher education programs at churches, non-profit organizations, community colleges, technical schools, and state colleges and universities. •

Coordinate employment programs with homeless assistance, social service, veterans' service, youth, and housing programs.

•

Provide training to community and social service organizations about how to ask about military services during intake processes, how to improve military cultural competency, and how to refer veteran families to services available to them in order to prevent them from becoming homeless or help them find permanent housing if they are homeless.

www.HOMELESSCHILDRENAMERICA.ORG 11

As a state, we can no longer ignore the fact that 41,500 Georgia children go without homes, food, access to health care, and educational opportunities each year. The cost is too great to our children and families and to our communities. Now is the time to end child and family homelessness. The Georgia Plan to End Child Homelessnessoffers specific recommendations to end child homelessness in three areas: (1) increased public awareness and action to end this growing problem; (2) stronger state and local policies and plans; and (3) improved programs and servicesfor children and families. The Georgia Campaign pledges to provide leadership in specific areas where we can have the greatest impact. We ask state leaders, service providers, advocates, and citizens to step forward in areas where their leadership will be most effective. We urge the Georgia business community to become engaged in, advise, and support the Campaign's efforts. We also ask the philanthropic community to come to the table with financial support to implement the recommendations in this Plan that are aligned with their priorities. No one is more important to the successof this Plan than the citizens of Georgia. For too long, we have failed to acknowledge that children are homeless right here in our state. We want to change that, and it starts with you. Pleasetell your local and state leaders you will not tolerate thousands of children in Georgia with no place to call home. Raiseyour voice with neighbors, church members, and friends. Your demand for action will fuel the Georgia Campaign and inspire others to stand up with us. The solutions are clear. All we need is the will to make them happen. Join the Georgia Campaign to End Child Homelessness! Email us at Campaign@familyhomelessness.org. Visit www.Homelesschildrennmerica.orq

for updates.

References 1Âˇ

America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness. (2009). Newton, Center on Family Homelessness.

America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness,

MA: The National

2009.

Estimate based on published McKinney-Vento school data adjusted to account for children under the age of 6. Estimate based on published McKinney-Vento school data adjusted to account for children under the age of 6. United States Census Bureau. (2009). Selected Population Profile in the United States, 2009: Georgia. Retrieved January 24, 2011 from http://factfinder. ce nsus.gov/servlet/I PTable? _bm=y &-context=i p&reg=ACS_2009_1 YR_GOO_S0201 :001 ;ACS_2009_1 YR_ GOO_S0201PR:OOl;ACS_2009_1 YR_GOO_ 50201 T:OOl ;ACS_2009_1 YR_GOO_S0201TPR:OOl &qr_name=ACS_2009_lYR_GOO_S0201 &qr_name=ACS_2009_lYR_GOO_S0201 PR&qr _name=ACS_2009_1 YR_GOO_S0201T&qr _name=ACS_2009_1 YR_GOO_S0201TPR&-ds_ name=ACS_2009_1YR_GOO_&-treejd=309&-geo_ id=04000US 13&-search_results=01 OOOUS&-format=&-_ lang=en National Center for Children in Poverty. (2009). Georgia Demographics of Poor Children. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from http://www.nccp.org/profiles/GA_profile_7. html

u 12

Out of Reach 2010. (2010). Retrieved January 25, 2011, from http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2010/data. cfm?getstate=on&state=GA. Washington, D.C: National Low Income Housinq Coalition.

Homeless Children: America's New Outcasts, 1999.

America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on

Out of Reach 2010,2010. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2010). FY2010 Fair Market Rent Documentation. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/fmr/fmrs/ docsys.html&data=fmrl0 Out of Reach 2010,2010. Bassuk, E.L., Weinreb, L.F., Buckner, J.C, Browne, A., Salomon, A., & Bassuk, S.S. (1996). The characteristics and needs of sheltered homeless and low-income housed mothers. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 276(8): 640-646. Barrow, S.M., & Lawinski, T. (2009). Contexts of motherchild separations in homeless families. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 9(1), 157-176.

Child Homelessness,

Child Homelessness, 28

" 30

so 32

Subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001). United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Georgia Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from http://data. bls.gov/map/MapToolServlet

rs Rog, D.J., & Buckner, J.e. (2007). Homeless families and children. Paper presented at the 2007 National Symposium on Homelessness Research, Washington, DC. Retrieved May 12, 2010 from http://aspe.hhs.gov/ hsp/homelessness/symposium07lrog/index.htm "

Guarino, K., & Bassuk, E.L. (2010). Working with families experiencing homelessness. Journal of ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, 30(3), 11-20.

America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness,

Homeless Children: America's New Outcasts. (1999). Newton, MA: The National Center on Family Homelessness.

RealtyTrac. (2010). U.S. Trends Foreclosure Activity Report. Retrieved January 25,2011, from http://www. realtytrac.com/trendcenterl

2009.

America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness,

2009.

Bassuk, E.L. et al., 1996. Bassuk, E.L. et al., 1996. Bassuk, E.L., Buckner, J.C, Weinreb, L.F., Browne, A., Bassuk, S.5., Dawson, R., et at. (1997). Homelessness in female-headed families: Childhood and adult risk and protective factors. American Journal of Public Health 87(2) 241-248. Bassuk, E.L. et al., 1996. Knitzer, J., Theberge,S., & Johnson, K. (2008). Reducing maternal depression and its impact on young children: Toward a responsive early childhood policy framework. New York, New York: National Center for Children in Poverty.

Promising Strategies to End Family Homelessness. (2006). Washington, Homelessness.

D.C.: National

Alliance

to End

America's Youngest Outcasts: A Call To Action Children define our future and lay claim to our nation's conscience. But, over the years since child homelessness first surfaced in the 1980s, too little attention has been given to this tragedy. Who are these children, and why are they homeless? What are their housing, health, and educational needs? How have states responded? What can we do differently? The National Center on Family Homelessness researched and authored America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness to answer these questions and bring public attention to the plight of more than 1.5 million children who experience homelessness in the U.S. each year. The picture is not pretty: •

One in fifty American children experience homelessness annually.

•

Homeless children are sick four times more often than other children.

•

They go hungry at twice the rate of other children.

•

They have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems.

•

Homeless children are 16 percent less proficient at reading and math.

•

Fewer than 25 percent graduate from high school.

The findings in America's Youngest Outcasts were developed by considering the complex factors that contribute to child homelessness. The ranking of the states was based on a composite score for each state that represents four critical factors: •

Extent of Child Homelessness:The scope of the problem.

•

Child Well-Being: Determined by food security, health outcomes, and educational proficiency.

•

Risk for Child Homelessness:Based on state benefits, household structure, housing market factors, extreme poverty, and structural factors contributing to homelessness.

•

State Policy and Planning: Assessing housing, income, education, and health policies as well as state planning activities related to child homelessness.

More than an analysis of the numbers and needs of homeless children, America's Youngest Outcasts is a call to action to end child homelessness before it becomes a permanent part of our national landscape. Achieving this goal demands a comprehensive understanding of the risks for child homelessness, careful and informed planning, increased resources that are dedicated to ending this problem, a skilled and dedicated workforce, and the will to make safe and decent housing a reality for all. The report spells out a policy framework for state and federal action. The complete document and an executive summary can be downloaded at www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org.

Campaign to End Child Homelessness With the release of America's Youngest Outcasts in March of 2009, The National Center on Family Homelessness launched the Campaign to End Child Homelessness. The goals of the Campaign are to increase public awareness, inform policy solutions, share tools and best practices with community caregivers, and lead state and national advocacy efforts. The Campaign is building on the findings and information from America's Youngest Outcasts to establish partnerships at national, state, and community levels to leverage this knowledge into action. We are connecting families, communities, service providers, advocates, policymakers, elected officials, and the media to address child homelessness through an array of coordinated activities. From the U.S.Congress and the White House to State Houses and Town Halls acrossthe country, we are mobilizing people to acknowledge that children are homeless tonight in virtually every community in America, and the time for action is now. Our website, www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org, is a hub for learning, sharing opinion, and activity. As a nation, we can no longer ignore the fact that more than 1.5 million American children have no place to call home.

WWW.HOMELESSCHILDRENAMERICA.ORG

GEORGIA ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS, INC.

Georgia CAMPAIGN

THE

NATIONAL

CENTER

Family Homelessness