During the past 10 years, the number of homeless people have increased in every region of the United STates. Homelessness is now a major problem in the USA affecting small as well as larger urban centers. Estimates of the total numbers of homeless people vary between 250,000 and 3,000,000. The fastest growing segment of this population are families consisting primarily of single mothers with 2-3 children. Prior research has suggested that homeless children have more medical, cognitive and psychological problems compared to non-homeless children. Little data exists, however, detailing the specific effects of homelessness on children in a controlled manner, and therefore a careful study is needed to investigate the effects of homelessness on children. This project seeks support for a 2-year cross-sectional study of 150 homeless mothers and children and 300 non-homeless mothers and children. The study design incorporates strategies that address problem in prior studies: (1) 2 comparison groups consisting of low income, non-homeless and precariously housed mothers and children matched for ethnic background, (2) sociodemographic information regarding length of homelessness and social class prior to becoming homeless, (3) binding of study personnel to homeless status of study subjects, and (4) assessment and control for potentially confounding variables. Information will be collected from both homeless and non-homeless subjects during a interview with mothers and children at the school attended by the child. Teachers will also be interviewed regarding emotional and behavioral characteristics of the children. The interview will consist of socio-demographic variables and standardized testing instruments focusing on cognitive, emotional and behavioral evaluation. Data analysis will compare the relationship between homeless and non- homeless mothers and children using multivariate regression techniques to control for confounding variables. The results of this study should quantify the effects of homelessness on mothers and children and provide data for health professionals as they seek to improve the educational, medical and mental health welfare of these individuals.
