Every day, 274 #kids in #US become #homeless. The horrible fact is that currently, there are 1.6 million homeless American children. More than 40 percent of them are younger than 6 years old. Since 2007, total number of homeless children increased by 100,000 every year and today, India is the only country in the world with more homeless children than United States.
Report published by the National Center on Homelessness paints a bleak picture of American children suffering from hunger, poor physical and emotional health, and missed educational opportunities.
While 75 percent of homeless children reside in 18 states, still, thousands and tens of thousands of children in every state go to sleep each night without a home to call their own.
Unlike some third world countries, United States seem to have no answer and no aspiration to care for this problem plaguing the nation.
Sixteen states have done absolutely no planning related to child homelessness, and only seven states have created plans that are more extensive.
HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) funding for new public housing units, the only safety net for homeless families, has been zero since 1996 and is still zero for the planned, 2012 budget.
From 1995 to 2011, 290,588 existing units of public housing and 360,000 Section 8 units have been demolished or disposed of. During the same period, 830,000 new prison cells were built.
Children who are homeless, have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems compared to other children. Anxiety, depression and aggression are common among homeless kids. However, it would be better to build nurturing homes for them rather than prison cells for the time when American Oliver Twists grow up.
Compare this to some third world country like Vietnam, where 400 humanitarian organizations provide help for about 15,000 homeless children, and you have to ask yourself...
Who cares about American Children?