Shelter-based studies have documented risks to homeless children's development, but scant information is available about children residing in family supportive housing, a key strategy for preventing long-term homelessness. This study assessed the psychosocial and health status of 454 formerly homeless children living with their families in 17 supportive housing communities. Findings indicated that children had good access to physical health care. However, children faced significant psychosocial risks and manifested behavioral, emotional, and school challenges. Housing agencies lacked infrastructure or expertise in children's mental health. The authors propose that supportive housing provides a valuable but hitherto underused opportunity to support children's psychosocial functioning.
Administration for Children and Families. ( 2003). Research to practice: Health and healthcare among early Headstart children. Washington, DC: Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2.
Anooshian, L.J. (2005). Violence and aggression in the lives of homeless children: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10(2), 129-152.
3.
Appleyard, K., Egeland, B., Van Dulmen, M., & Sroufe, L.A. (1996). When more is not better: The role of cumulative risk in child behavior outcomes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(3), 235.
4.
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. Journal of theAmerican Medical Association, 276(8), 640-646.
5.
Beardslee, W.R., Keller, M.B., Seifer, R., Lavor, P.W., Stanley, J., Podorefsky, D., et al. (1996). Prediction of adolescent affective disorder: Effects of prior parental affective disorders and child psychopathology. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(3), 279-288.
6.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Towards an experimental ecology in human development . American Psychologist, 32(7), 513-531.
7.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and by design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
8.
Burt, M., Aron, L.Y., Lee, E., & Valentine, J. (2001). Helping America's homeless: Emergency shelter or affordable housing?Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.
9.
Cicchetti, D., & Cohen, D. (1995). Developmental psychopathology: Theory and method (Vol. 1). New York: John Wiley.
10.
Corporation for Supportive Housing. (2005). Retrieved December 15, 2005, from http://www.csh.org
11.
Culhane, D.P., Metreaux, S., & Hadley, T. (2002). Supportive housing for homeless people with severe mental illness. LDI Issue Brief, 7(5), 1-4.
12.
Garmezy, N., & Rutter, M. (Eds.). (1988). Stress, coping and development in children. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
13.
Gewirtz, A., & Edleson, J. (in press). Young children's exposure to adult domestic violence: Towards a developmental risk and resilience framework for research and intervention . Journal of Family Violence.
14.
Gewirtz, A., & Menakem, R. (2004). Working with young children and their families: Recommendations for domestic violence agencies and batterer intervention programs . In S. Schecter (Ed.), Domestic violence, poverty and young children. David and Lucile Packard Foundation [Online]. Available from http://www.uiowa.edu/~socialwk/publications.html
15.
Goldman, H.H., & Morrissey, J.P. (1958). The alchemy of mental health policy; homelessness and the fourth cycle of retention. American Journal of Public Health, 75(7), 727-731.
16.
Gutman, L.M., Sameroff, A.J., & Cole, R. (2003). Academic growth curve trajectories from 1st grade to 12th grade: Effects of multiple social risk factors and preschool child factors. Developmental Psychology, 39(4), 777-790.
17.
Herman, D.B., Susser, E.S., Struening, E.L., & Link, B.L. (1997). Adverse childhood experiences: Are they risk factors for adult homelessness?American Journal of Public Health , 87, 249-255.
18.
Hughes, J.N. (2003). Commentary: Participatory action research leads to sustainable school and community improvement. School Psychology Review, 32(1), 38-43.
Korman, H., Engster, D., & Milstein, B.M. (1996). Housing as tool of coercion . New York: Plenum.
21.
Lipton, F.R., Siegel, C., Hannigan, A., Samuels, J., & Baker, S. (2000). Tenure in supportive housing for homeless persons with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 51(4), 479-486.
22.
Masten, A., & Gewirtz, A. (2006). Vulnerability and resilience. In D. Philips & K. McCartney (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of early childhood development (pp. 22-43). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell.
23.
Masten, A.S., Miliotis, D., Graham-Bermann, S.A., Ramirez, M., & Neemann, J. (1993). Children in homeless families: Risks to mental health and development. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(2), 335-343.
24.
Masten, A.S., & Sesma, A. (1999). Risk and resilience among children homeless in Minneapolis. CURA Reporter, 29(1), 1-6.
25.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, P.L. 100-77, reauthorized as Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act in January 2002; 34 CFR Pt. 200.
26.
McQuistion, H.L., Finnerty, M., Hirschowitz, J., & Susser, E.S. (2003). Challenges for psychiatry in serving homeless people with psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric Services, 54(5), 669-676.
27.
Minnesota Department of Administration. (2002 ). Children's report card. Retrieved January 10, 2006, from http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/children/indicator.html?Id=4&G=23&CI=4
28.
Minnesota Department of Health. (2004). Proportion of children with health insurance in Minnesota. Retrieved December 28, 2005, from http://www.health.state.mn.us
29.
National Lung Association. (2005, May). Trends in asthma morbidity and mortality. Retrieved December 15, 2005, from http://www.lungusa.org
30.
Ponterotto, J.G. (2005). Qualitative research in counseling psychology: A primer on research paradigms and philosophy of science. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 126-136.
31.
Ramchandani, P., & Stein, A. (2003). The impact of parental psychiatric disorder on children. British Medical Journal, 327, 242-243.
32.
Rutter, M. (1966). Children of sick parents. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
33.
Rutter, M. (1979). Protective factors in children's responses to stress and disadvantage. In M. Kent & J. E. Rolf (Eds.), Primary prevention of psychopathology: Social competence in children (Vol. 3, pp. 49-74). Hanover, NH: University Press of New England.
34.
Sameroff, A., Seifer, R., Zax, M., & Barocas, R. (1987). Early indicators of developmental risk: Rochester longitudinal study. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 13(3), 383-394.
35.
Schinka, J., Francis, E., Hughes, P., LaLone, L., & Flynn, C. (1998). Comparative outcomes and costs of inpatient care and supportive housing for substance-dependent veterans. Psychiatric Services, 49, 946-950.
36.
Shinn, M., & Tsemberis, S. (1998). Is housing the cure for homelessness?Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
37.
Shonkoff, J., & Meisels, S. (2003). Handbook of early intervention (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
38.
Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
39.
Strickland, B., McPherson, M., Weissman, G., van Dyck, P. J. Z., & Newacheck, P. (2004). Access to the medical home: Results of the national survey of children with special health care needs. Pediatrics, 113, 1485-1492.
40.
Tolan, P., Keys, C., Chertok, F., & Jason, L. (Eds.). (1990). Researching community psychology: Issues of theories and methods. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association .
41.
U.S. Conference of Mayors. (2004). A status report on hunger and homelessness. Washington, DC: Author.
42.
Vostanis, P., Grattan, E., & Cumella, S. (1998). Mental health problems of homeless children and families: Longitudinal study. British Medical Journal, 316(7135), 899-902.
43.
Vostanis, P., Grattan, E., Cumella, S., & Winchester, C. (1997). Psychosocial functioning of homeless children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(7), 881-889.
44.
Weinreb, L., Goldberg, R., & Perloff, J. (1998). Health characteristics and medical service use patterns of sheltered homeless and low-income housed mothers. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 13(6), 389-397.
45.
Weissberg, R.P., & Greenberg, M.T. (1998). Prevention science and collaborative community action research: Combining the best from both perspectives . Journal of Mental Health, 7, 479-492.
46.
Zlotnick, C., Kronstadt, D., & Klee, L. (1998). Foster care children and family homelessness. American Journal of Public Health, 88(9), 1368-1370.
