Number of homeless children in Philadelphia estimated at 5000
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
A national report on child homelessness says more than 1.5 million U.S. children each year sleep on the streets, in shelters, cars or campgrounds, or doubled-up with other families because of financial problems. The report is based on the number of children who were homeless at some point during the 2005-2006 school year.
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People's Emergency Center President Gloria Guard says there are about 5,000 homeless children in Philadelphia. She says to lower that number, homeless families need more than a roof over their heads.
Guard: All of the moms we see will tell you about their past. They were either incest survivors or they were beaten within an inch of their lives as a child, they have very difficult time being parents because they are were parented by someone very young and they are young parents themselves.
Guard says there are some local signs of hope: the city is not cutting funding for shelters, and is working to implement trauma-based training for shelter workers. That training should help them work with survivors of domestic violence and answer specific questions like whether children should be placed in a dormitory or a private room.