Psychosocial status of homeless children and youth in family supportive housing

Abigail Gewirtz, Ellen Hart-Shegos, Amanuel Medhanie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)810-823
Number of pages14
JournalAmerican Behavioral Scientist
Volume51
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adjustment
  • Children
  • Families
  • Homelessness
  • Supportive housing

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