What about America's homeless children?

Who are the homeless children in America and what do we know about them? How does their being homeless affect them and society in general? What's being done to help them? What About America's Homeless Children? takes a multifaceted look at families and abandoned and runaway children in America. This eye-opening volume examines the social factors that create homeless situations for children and the personal and educational problems that can result from them.

The health risks to this population - including unsanitary living conditions, poor nutrition, physical assault, and lack of access to health care - are also explored. The author then brings the problem and effects of homelessness to a personal level by presenting ethnographic case studies of individual children in urban shelters, families in a shelter program, and people who "survived" a homeless youth experience. The history of programs, both governmental and nongovernmental, and policies for homeless youth are also examined.

The book concludes with recommendations for policies and programs that can prevent homelessness for children.