Children Experiencing Homelessness

Every day, approximately 2.5 million children in America go to school knowing that they don't have an adequate home to go back to. Once at school they are expected to behave and perform just like the other children who woke up in their own beds and had a nutritious breakfast that morning and benefit from the security of knowing that the same resources will be there when they return. These 'kids who live without' and their families make up almost half of America’s homeless population (Family Gateway, 2022). Tragically, 51% of American children who experience homelessness are under the age of six (SAMHSA, 2022). When children are homeless and without the basic necessities for physical, mental, emotional, social, and identity development during the most crucial formative years of their life (CDC, 2022), what are the long-term - lifetime impacts? Childhood homelessness and inadequate housing puts youth at a significantly higher risk of substance use, more likely to drop out, more likely to struggle with their mental health, and less prepared to reach their potential (SAMHSA, 2022).

When there is a solution to this travesty, why let one more child suffer? The idea for Kauri Foundation has its roots in childhood homelessness; it was born when its founder heard a story of a woman who rode public transit all night with her small children because they didn't have a home to go to. Kauri Foundation has visions of a better tomorrow; a tomorrow where every child has a place to rest their head at night and every family has a place to call home. This is a future that disrupts the cycle of homelessness. A future of hope and opportunity that, collectively, we can achieve. Join us in ushering in a new tomorrow for our children, and our children's children.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, March 25). Early Brain Development and Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/early-brain-development.html 

Child homelessness: A growing crisis. SAMHSA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources/hpr-resources/child-homelessness-growing-crisis 

Family Gateway. (2022, February 8). Facts & Statistics . Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://familygateway.org/about-us/facts-statistics/