What Are the Causes of Homeless Children ?
Homelessness among children is an upsetting topic to think about. Instead of going to school and spending time with their families, homeless children wander the streets, trying to survive. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, about 1.6 to 1.7 million children in the United States are homeless.
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Abuse
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Many children are homeless because they were physically or sexually abused at home. Rather than enduring the abuse, they ran away. The extreme measures they take to end the abuse often leave them without a place to live.
Poverty
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Some children have parents who can't afford to support their families. They often work minimum-wage jobs and can't pay for basic necessities, such as rent, utilities, food and health insurance. If a family is behind on their rent or mortgage payments, they risk homelessness.
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Pregnancy
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Ten percent of homeless young women are pregnant, according to DoSomething.org. Some are kicked out by their parents when they reveal their pregnancies. Others choose to run away because they are too scared to tell their family members.
Substance Abuse
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Homeless children may have abused drugs or alcohol. Families grow tired of seeing them waste their lives and kick them out of the house. Removing the child from home can make the situation worse, because he may turn to riskier behavior in order obtain drugs or alcohol and survive on the streets.
Sexual Preference
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Children who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender may find themselves homeless, according to DoSomething.org. Their shame about their sexuality causes them to run away from home, or their families reject them when they reveal their sexual orientations.
Juvenile Delinquency
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Children who are released from juvenile detention centers may end up homeless. Their families refuse to allow them back in their homes, so they have no choice but to live on the streets. Because they lack education and work experience, they have few opportunities to choose from.
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References
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