Enhancing Public Policy to Promote the Well-Being of Parents and Children Experiencing Homelessness

Advances in Child and Family Policy and Practice recently published a special issue on child and family well-being and homelessness. The issue highlights several of the most pressing challenges in addressing

the needs of families who are experiencing homelessness and presents a set of strong policy recommendations for assessment, intervention, research, and service delivery related to homeless

children and their parents. The chapters suggest four key areas for action.1

1. Coordinate Policies across Federal Agencies Policies and funding sources must be linked more closely across federal agencies. Funding should be dedicated to training and technical support to develop and sustain collaborations.

2. Increase Availability of Coordinated, Integrated Support Services

Sufficient affordable housing and Section 8 housing vouchers are essential to end family homelessness, but psychosocial services are also critical to stabilize vulnerable families. A comprehensive, easily accessible, evidence-informed, cost-effective continuum of prevention and intervention services for families without homes must be formed.

3. Promote Healthy Families Three key strategies are recommended to promote the development of healthy and resilient children and families:

• Improve Family Assessment Processes A one-size-fits-all sector-specific approach is ineffective for families with multiple system needs and complex challenges. A comprehensive screening and assessment process is vital to pinpoint varying needs and ensure access to the range of services that are developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, economically relevant, and coordinated in a service array designed to achieve successful outcomes.

• Increase Access to Early Care and Education The reauthorized Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) of 2014 aligned provisions of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) with the McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This provides additional resources to homeless families, including enhanced access to early childhood resources. Additionally, CCDF and the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 require prioritization of children experiencing homelessness. These pieces of legislation must receive adequate appropriations in order to implement this vision. Finally, the Homeless Children and Youth Act should be enacted to standardize the definition of homelessness and ensure that homeless children identified by HUD are linked with quality early childhood programs.

1 This summary of policy recommendations is not an exhaustive list; rather, these recommendations are drawn from results of the

innovative studies in this monograph of Advances in Child and Family Policy and Practice. Broader policy recommendations are

available from the Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children & Youth, the National Alliance to End Homelessness,

SchoolHouse Connection, and the Institute for Children, Poverty, & Homelessness.

• Channel Parenting Resources to Families Experiencing Homelessness The Head Start Act requires that families experiencing homelessness are prioritized for home visiting services; these families also should be prioritized in federally funded home visiting services supported by the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Home visiting can promote positive parenting and mitigate the social-emotional and behavioral impact of homelessness on infants and toddlers. Home visiting programs must be targeted to identify and conduct outreach to families experiencing homelessness to ensure children and parents receive need supports and are able to access mainstream services including economic supports to achieve housing stability.

4. Focus on Data and Increased Research Consistent and comprehensive data and an intentional research agenda are necessary to develop effective solutions that meet the unique needs of families experiencing homelessness.

• Improve Data Collection on Family Homelessness. Knowledge about family and child homelessness must reflect the rapidly growing number of homeless families and the complex nature of their needs. The Homeless Management Information System should require routine collection of data on parent and child functioning and psychosocial history, to better align family needs with services.

• Shape Research Funding. Public and private research grants should be provided to investigate family homelessness in four critical areas:

a. To examine the implementation and effects of evidence-based strategies in housing programs to determine “what works,” “for whom,” “under what conditions,” and “at what time point.”

b. To develop and evaluate systems changes and models of collaboration to address the varied and interrelated needs of families experiencing homelessness. Evaluations should assess the fidelity, scalability, and sustainability of the systems of care.

c. To gain a greater understanding of the sources of resilience that enable some vulnerable children and families without homes to adjust and even thrive.

d. To develop evidence-based methods to improve early childhood outcomes for the most vulnerable young children who are unstably housed. The Administration for Children and Families’ Early Childhood Self-Assessment Tool for Emergency Shelters shows promise and deserves further research.