One Million Homeless

I am currently in the process of writing a paper on homelessness in Chicago Public Schools.  This project has been both eye-opening and shocking.  During the 2008-2009 school year the US public school system catered to nearly 1 million homeless students.  I have learned that Chicago has an incredible number of homeless students as compared to other states.  Homelessness is defined as living in a shelter, between homes, or doubling up with other families.  A majority of homeless youth in Chicago Public Schools experienced some sort of emotional or physical abuse at home, meaning their relationships with adults are often fractured or non-existent.  90% of homeless youth in Chicago are African American.  The statistics go on and on; however, my main takeaway was that homeless youth face more challenges but can persevere with the right support.  Homeless youth are dedicated and resilient.  If you are interested in learning more about homeless youth you can review the sources for my paper:

•    Adams, C. (2013). One Million Students Homeless. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com.

• Aviles de Bradley, A.M. (2011). Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: Intersections of Homelessness, School Experiences and Educational Policy.  Child and Youth Services, 32, 155-172. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
• Bowhay, A., & Sloss, C. Homeless children are 8% of 31,438 students impacted by Chicago Public Schools’ closing/merger plans. Retrieved from http://www.chicagohomeless.org.
• Canfield, J.P., Groton, D., & Teasley, M.L. (2013) Working with Homeless School-Aged Children: Barriers to School Social Work Practice. School Social Work Journal, 37(2), 37-51. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.
•  Murphy, J.F., & Tobin, K.J. (2011) Homelessness Comes to School: How Homeless Children and Youth Can Succeed. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(3), 32-37. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.