NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS MONTH

November is National Youth Homeless Awareness Month. Every year, hundreds of thousands of American families become homeless, including more than 1.6 million children. Here in the DC Metro Area, 3,388 children were homeless as of the last point-in-time count conducted on January 25, 2012. Children make up 60% of all people in homeless families, which remains relatively unchanged from the previous year.

Children experiencing homelessness:
Are sick four times more often than other children. They have:

• Four times as many respiratory infections.
• Twice as many ear infections.
• Five times more gastrointestinal problems.
• Four times more likely to have asthma.
• Go hungry at twice the rate of other children.
• Have high rates of obesity due to nutritional deficiencies.
• Have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems compared to non-homeless children.*

Here at Carpenter’s Shelter, we believe no child deserves to be homeless.Please join us in raising awareness this month. Follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #NHAM