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Homeless kids face adult-sized issues
Being homeless has a profound effect on children, influencing every facet of their lives from physical, emotional and cognitive development to social and behavioral growth.Accounting for nearly half of the nation's homeless, families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, statistics show.
Recognizing the unique set of problems facing homeless children, three local shelters each provide programs aimed at helping their youngest clients build confidence, improve in school, and reach for the stars.
“Homeless kids have an inability to put roots down in a community, in a specific neighborhood or home,” explained Ed Childress, executive director of Fauquier Family Shelter Services, which oversees operations at both The Haven and the Vint Hill Transitional Housing program. “They miss out on the opportunity to develop the kinds of experiences bred by the habit of being in one place long enough to make friends, go to the same stores and schools, go to the library. Their perspective is always temporary ? everything is in flux, everything is temporary.”
Children thrive on predictability and routine, he said. “For really small children, that is tied to mom or other people, but as they get bigger, it's tied to place,” Childress said.
Designed with adjoining rooms that make it easier to accommodate large families, The Haven frequently fields calls from other housing facilities throughout the region, said shelter coordinator Rick Avery. “We specialize in taking families with children,” he added.
Vint Hill Transitional Housing, a two-year program designed to help families learn to better manage their finances and build stability, serves families exclusively while Victory Transitional Housing, a one-year program operated by Community Touch in Bealeton, provides shelter to individuals and families.
While local shelters cannot provide permanent housing for residents, staffers strive to foster a family culture with heavy emphasis on the needs of their youngest tenants.
One of the most pressing needs is for educational support. Statistics show that 21 percent of homeless children repeat a grade because of frequent absence from school. Within a single school year, half of homelessness children attend three different schools, according to a Homes for the Homeless report that also notes that 75 percent of homeless children perform below grade level in reading.
All three local shelters provide tutoring support to school-aged students.
“One of the biggest problems they face is in academics because they move around so much and don't have stability,” said Tyronne Champion, executive director of Community Touch. “We're blessed to have a tutor come from Liberty [High School] to help with the kids. We've seen kids go from straight Fs to As and Bs,” he said.
At Vint Hill, a retired teacher provides tutoring ? focusing on acquiring skills and improving grades ? a few times a week during the school year as well as during the summer, Childress said.
“Homelessness has a huge effect on their schoolwork. They don't develop the kinds of relationships with friends or teachers that allow them to build confidence and strong work habits,” he said.
In addition to tutoring, the shelters also strive to offer programs to fill in the gaps in other areas.
Champion said that older kids are taught about resume writing and job interview skills, as well as how to apply to college, and a donated computer is dedicated to helping students pass Standards of Learning tests.
At The Haven, Avery and child mentor Samantha May have developed activities to help kids learn about life skills, from building friendships to understanding basic nutrition, finance, and hygiene.
“I try to make contact with the kids within the first day or two that they arrive in the shelter to talk with them one on one. It makes them more comfortable,” said May, noting that providing stability and structure to children is one of her paramount objectives.
Creating meaningful activities for kids of widely varied ages is a challenge, said May, who recently conducted two weeks of summer camps for children at The Haven.
“The kids are awesome. They will change your life. I know that sounds kind of cliché, but it's true. You get a whole new outlook on your life, and it gives you a better understanding of what life is about and how privileged we are in this county,” May said.
“Activities at the shelter instill confidence,” added Childress, noting that Avery has set up a system by which residents at The Haven participate in summer programs offered by Boys and Girls Club and Fauquier Community Child Care.
“They're in the programs all day. They get away from the shelter so that their parents can do what they have to do ? look for a job, meet with their case worker, or look for permanent housing. When kids come back at the end of the day, Samantha [May] has activities and programs for they so they're constantly engaged in positive activities,” explained Childress. “It's been wonderful to see the kids having something positive to do.”
Expanding horizons is also extremely valuable for homeless kids.
A $5,000 grant from the Northern Piedmont Foundation has allowed children living at Victory House to participate in swimming lessons this summer and others will travel to Washington, D.C. to visit museums, Champion said. Through summer camps, May and her charges at The Haven explored Fauquier County's parks, volunteered at the Fauquier SPCA, and cooled off at the Warrenton Aquatic and Recreational Facility.
Providing access to mentors is also an important way for children to grow, receiving insight into goals they may want to pursue.
“We're talking about college to them and all of a sudden it's like the world is opening up,” said Sabine Scholz, a case manager at The Haven. Noting that May brought in an architect to serve as a mentor for a child at the shelter who was interested in the profession, Scholz said, “That was huge for that kid. Having Samantha here has made a huge difference. The kids feel that they are being taken care of.”
According to advocates, 47 percent of homeless children struggle with anxiety, depression or withdrawal.
“They don't want to expose themselves as homeless. They are embarrassed,” Champion said. “They are insecure and often carry baggage from their parents. We see a lot of kids with anger problems or kids who don't want to help around the house.”
Scholz said that children are monitored for potential problems and counseling is available should they need it. Interestingly, she said, very few children who have come through The Haven need professional counseling. “For young children, as long as the family is together, they're okay. For teens, the rules are a big deal. I was amazed, I expected a lot more problems with the kids,” Scholz said.
A family of six that recently left The Haven and moved into the Vint Hill program echoed Scholz's assessment. Armed with close family ties, the children ? ages 8, 10, 14, and 18 ? said they felt safe at the shelter and developed some meaningful friendships.
The younger children said they enjoyed having other kids around with whom to play, while the older two were a bit more philosophical. “We met good people, bad people, and sad people. Some people came in and you could tell they had an attitude. They didn't stay long. Mostly everyone followed the rules,” said the eldest, adding that the family's collective personality proved to be helpful. “Everyone in our family is a people-person.”
With their mother cleaning and cooking for all of The Haven's residents, the children said they felt at home and comfortable to a large extent. Their mother, who said the family became homeless after losing their Prince William County home to foreclosure, saw the experience as a wonderful opportunity for the children, allowing them a chance to get to know so many caring people.
“I will never, ever, forget this experience,” she said. “Some people don't even want to talk about being homeless. I love that my children have had a beautiful experience with being homeless.”
Statistically speaking, however, homeless children are more at risk of developing medical problems. Nationwide, they are in fair or poor health twice as often as other children and have higher rates of asthma, ear infections, stomach problems, and speech problems, according to the Better Homes Fund's 1999 report. They are twice as likely to experience hunger and four times as likely to have delayed development.
Scholz said that most shelter residents receive Medicaid, but that many times issues go untreated because parents are so overwhelmed with their situations and because it is often difficult for them to take time off work to take their kids to the doctor or dentist.
“If it's something broken or bleeding or really obvious, the parents will take care of it, but they have so much on their plate just for everyday survival,” Scholz said.
“I make it a condition for them to stay here. It's not an option ? the kids have to have their immunizations up to date, they have to have a medical checkup and a dental checkup. I have a unique opportunity while they're here because they'll do just about anything to stay,” Scholz said, noting that through assistance from the Dominion Women's Club shelter residents now have access to dental care.
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