Attend to these statistics from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services' Point-in-Time survey on a day in January 2009. Programs addressing the needs of the homeless and participating in the point-in-time survey include hospitals, soup kitchens, day programs, street outreach, emergency shelters, transitional housing of various types, and permanent housing. It is important to understand that not every homeless person, child, or family will be counted in such a survey.

• 631: the number of children being served in homelessness programs – from street outreach to permanent housing.

• 8: the average age of a homeless child

• 616: the number of homeless families with children unsheltered or living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and supportive permanent housing.

An accounting by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 2008 estimated that the number of homeless children and youth in the state was approximately 30,000 (ages birth to 18). 50% were in elementary school, 26% in middle school, and 24% in high school. This placed Pennsylvania as 6th nationwide in the number of its children and youth identified as homeless (behind California, Florida, Michigan, New York and Texas).

Since a child often spends anywhere from a few days to a few months in a given center, many of the children counted in these surveys are forced to adapt to several different living spaces and schools each year. That exacts a terrible toll on a young mind and spirit.

There are a number of facilities in Allegheny County serving children and their moms. (The Salvation Army also serves single men with children and Bridge to Independence serves intact families with a married mom and dad.)

Each is unique, with different strengths and funding sources. Each meets basic needs in accordance with its particular mission and purpose. Typically emergency housing is for 30-60 days; bridge housing for 90 days to 1 year; transitional housing from 1-2 years, and permanent housing indefinitely.

Primary Care Health Services (no website)
Open Arms – 2-year transitional housing
San Kofa House – 2-year transitional and
permanent housing
New Beginnings – 30-day emergency shelter
Penn Free Bridge Housing – bridge housing
Salvation Army Family Caring Center –
emergency and bridge housing
Sojourner House – residential rehabilitation facility
(generally 5-6 months);
Sojourner MOMS – long-term housing
Three Rivers Youth – The Hub – drop-in center
primarily for youths 18-21
Womanspace East, Inc. – 30-day emergency
shelter, 1- year bridge housing, 2-year transitional housing
Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh
– 60-day emergency shelter and off-site transitional housing
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh Housing Programs
– bridge housing for up to 2 years and permanent supportive housing for women struggling with both addictions and mental illness and their children

Elsewhere in Allegheny County:

Adagio Health's Healthy Start House– bridge
housing up to 18 months
Alle-Kiski Area Hope Center – 30-day emergency
shelter and 2-year transitional housing
Allegheny Valley Association of Churches Hospitality
Network – emergency housing up to one week at a time and permanent housing
Bridge to Independence
Debra House – bridge housing 6-12 months
Family Focus – transitional housing (intact families)
Families First – transitional housing
Penn Free Bridge – bridge and transitional housing
Crisis Center North – counseling and educational
resource center for victims of domestic violence
HEARTH Benedictine Place – transitional housing up to
2 years; anticipating a permanent housing site
Sisters Place – transitional housing up to 2 years and
permanent housing
Womansplace – 30-day domestic violence shelter and
transitional housing for 1-2 years

Some useful definitions

Homeless person: a person sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation or in an emergency shelter; a person in transitional or supportive housing for homeless persons who originally came from the street or an emergency shelter.

Homeless child: a person under age 18 who is living in a shelter, motel, vehicle, campground, on the street, in sub-standard housing, or doubled-up with friends and relatives due to a lack of housing. Runaway and throw-away teens and abandoned children are also considered homeless.

Emergency shelter: a refuge and care facility for persons who are in immediate need of housing and are homeless (having no permanent legal residence of their own).

Bridge housing: a transitional service that allows persons who are in temporary housing to move to supportive long-term living arrangements while preparing to live independently.

Penn Free Bridge housing: a one-year transitional housing and case managemenet service that allows persons who are in temporary housing and who have drug and/or alcohol problems to move to supportive living arrangements while preparing to live independently.

Permanent housing: permanent housing for persons with disabilities (typically, but not exclusively, those with a mental illness and the disease of addiction). This is community-base, long-term housing with supportive services designed to enable homeless persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible in a permanent setting.

Map of housing locations in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. (Please note. This page may be slow to display. The image size is large so that the map is readable.)

Now think nationally.

Families with children make up about 50 percent of the homeless population over the course of the year.

An inadequate supply of affordable housing is the primary cause of homelessness among families:

• in times of declining wages; unanticipated layoffs and job cuts; rising costs of food, fuel, and critical medical care, families living on the edge economically are at risk of losing their homes and, subsequently, having trouble finding affordable replacements

What is the effect of homelessness on children?

• high rates of anxiety, depression, and/or behavioral problems
• poor health and developmental delays
• below-average school performance

What about the children's schooling?

Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Act, signed into law in July 1987, included authorization of the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program. A fact sheet provided by the National Coalition for the Homeless (Fact Sheet #18, updated June 2008) includes a summary of amendments to the act. The critically important 1994 amendment "provided local educational authorities with greater flexibility in the use of funds; specified the rights of homeless preschoolers to a free and appropriate public preschool education; gave parents of homeless children and youth a voice regarding their children's school placement; and required educational authorities to coordinate with housing authorities."

• Children must be allowed to remain in the school they were attending before becoming homeless and for the entire time they are homeless, even if they move from place to place
• The school district must arrange transportation for children who choose to remain at their school of origin but have moved outside that school's boundaries
• Children must be enrolled without delay, even if they lack necessary documentation or immunization records
• Children cannot be segregated from peers solely because of their residential status
• School districts are mandated to hire/train a homeless liaison to coordinate services and ensure compliance with federal/state mandates

Find these .pdf fact sheets at the National Coalition for the Homeless (all updated August 2008):

• Why are People Homeless?
  
• How Many People Experience Homelessness?
  
• Who is Homeless?
  
• Homeless Families with Children
  
• Homeless Youth
  
• Education of Homeless Children and Youth
  
• The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

The National Coalition for the Homeless is an advocacy network of homeless persons, activists, service providers, and others committed to ending homelessness through public education, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and technical assistance. It co-sponsors the annual National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week (November 9-15, 2008) with the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. The Coalition's website includes information about homelessness, legislative efforts, and the programs of the NCH, as well as a library, directory, and a host of Internet resources.

Wondering what you can do about homelessness? Here are NCH's suggestions. Here in Pittsburgh, you can become a partner or volunteer with HCEF through the donation of your contributions and/or your time.

The best approximation of homelessness in the United States comes from a National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty 2007 study that states approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year.

The NLCHP mission is to advocate effectively – through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education – to protect the rights of homeless people and to implement solutions to end homelessness in America. The Law Center monitors and enforces compliance with the McKinney-Vento Act.

What about in Pennsylvania?

The mission of the recently created Pennsylvania Department of Education's Homeless Children’s Projects Region 4 is "to provide educational and enrichment programs that encourage school attendance, reduce disruptions, and facilitate services that are linked to the challenging state performance standards." It is the agency responsible for enforcing the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program. The counties served by Region 4 are Allegheny, Beaver, Bedford, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland.

Click on this link for program details, here for statistics on homelessness and children in Pennsylvania, and here for students' rights for public school enrollment.

The Region 4 Coordinator

Gail Odorcich
Regional Site Coordinator
Allegheny IU #4
475 East Waterfront Drive
Homestead, PA 15120
Phone: 412-394-5894
odorcich@aiu3.net

The State Coordinator

Mr. Sheldon Winnick
State Coordinator
Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street, 5th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Phone: 800-770-4822 (Ext. 1361)
swinnick@state.pa.us

Please note that several of the articles linked to here are in Adobe's .pdf format. You will find this icon next to the link: . If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can download it free.

Family & Community Services

Hunger & Housing Services

Education Law Center of Pennsylvania
Nonprofit organization working to ensure ready access to public education for poor and homeless children, children of color, children with disabilities, English language learners, children in foster homes and institutions, and others. See also their list of publications on residency and enrollment and specifically the Fact SheetThe Right of Homeless Children to Attend School

Fifth Avenue Commons Collaborative in Pittsburgh offers a Directory of Partner Agencies. The Collaborative is made up of 15 providers who share a common goal of improving the lives of families affected by homelessness, poverty, mental illness and substance abuse and dependency. Together, the Collaborative works toward a common mission.

National Alliance to End Homelessness
Nonprofit membership organization dedicated to solving the problems of homelessness and to preventing its continued growth. Site contains information on programs; practices; legislation; a bibliography of fact sheets, statistics, and reports; useful website links; and suggestions for advocacy. Of particular interest is a report entitled Family Homelessness in Our Nation: A Problem with a Solution

National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE
Website provides numerous resources on homelessness and education for children and youth.

Pennsylvania Department of Education
Site hosts a wealth of information about children, schools, teaching, and policy issues in Pennsylvania education.

Stand Up For Kids
National, not-for-profit organization founded in 1990 to help rescue homeless and at-risk youth living on the streets.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Pennsylvania (HUD)
Numerous useful links to homeless services and resources in the state. The site is available in Spanish as well as English.

Updated 4/15/09