News & Events
The Importance of Keeping Families Together in Homelessness
When you think about someone experiencing homelessness, do you think of one individual, alone on the streets? Or do you think about a family of four that can no longer afford their apartment? Do you think about the mom with three kids that has been sleeping in the car for the last week?
Every year, many families experience homelessness.
In 2020, about 172,000 people in families with children were experiencing homelessness. Unfortunately, this number has increased over the last year and a half since the pandemic began. An estimated 90% of these families are sheltered. But they are still left with the stressors of finding a place to live.
People experience homelessness for a variety of reasons, but no matter the reason, it is a stressful time for all. This stress only increases when a family is involved. A dad who is already dealing with the stress of not being able to provide for his family is now trying to find them a home. A single mom has to focus on keeping her kids safe and healthy. It’s not easy.
Unfortunately, not many shelters are set up to serve entire families for safety reasons. Because of this, families are far too often faced with the decision to stay together on the streets or separate.
The idea of being ripped away from your family is gut-wrenching. Parents will do whatever they can to keep their families together. Many times, we’ve had a mom and her children come to us, while the father heads to another shelter. Nia and her family are just one example of that happening, but it happens all the time.
When we are able to help keep the family together as much as possible, it changes the game as they work to end their homelessness. Most importantly, it reduces generational homelessness. In the cases where the family has been ripped apart and never reunited, we often see the homelessness cycle continue in the children. But for families that are able to stay together and work together, especially moms and children, we see an end to generational homelessness.
Keeping families together matters. It makes a difference in the lives of the children. It reduces the stress for everyone. And it helps end homelessness for good.
