Should We Expand Our Support of Literacy Programs for Homeless Children - Essay Example

There are several causes of homelessness, such as domestic violence, economic hardships and war. Homelessness is bad because it creates chaos and instability in the family and threatens development of children. Researchers have found that homeless children are mostly made to forego literary and language opportunities. It is known in this context that disruption in educational development and stressed family relationships can lead to severe adversities in a child’s later learning environment (Duffield and Lovell, 2008).

Communities are now beginning to realize that while addressing the issue of homelessness, it is not merely enough to resolve problems relative to food and shelter. It is imperative to provide children with literary support through which they can get over with the challenges of coping with homelessness. Research has also shown that in general, homeless children stand higher chances of suffering from health and psychological problems and developmental issues and generally demonstrate poor performance in school as compared to other children having permanent housing (US Department of Education, 2011).

It is for these reasons that society must expand support of literacy programs for homeless children. Main Body Because of homelessness, children are put at strong risks of poor health. Research has indicated that as compared to children having permanent homes, homeless children stand four times more chances of being in poor health. Such children are two times more likely to visit emergency medical centers and to be deprived of the normal immunizations that are necessary for children. Moreover, homeless children have to often go without food and it is because of these reasons that these children perform poorly in academics.

Homeless children get poor results in schools because they have to under go immense turmoil and are at constant risk of being shifted from one school to another, in addition to being made to skip school for an indefinite number of days because of the need to meet their basic family needs. It has been established through research that mobility has a devastating impact on children’s achievements and that it significantly reduces such children’s chances of graduating from high school. Schools are known to provide support to homeless children but they continue to face some unique hurdles in education such as not being able to comply with enrollment conditions relative to proof of residence, guardianship, health records etc.

They often change their residences frequently, resulting in unstable schooling and continuity in education. These children are considerably constrained because of lack of transport facilities, inadequate clothing and school supplies, hunger, fatigue and poor health. Mostly, these difficulties for homeless children are not addressed and they are not able to attend school, which prevents them from getting an education that is supposed to be guaranteed by law (Iowa Department of Education, 2004).

If initiatives are taken by schools to address the needs of homeless children, a sanctuary of support and stability can be created for them. They can be provided opportunities in acquiring skills needed to rise above poverty and to maintain a sound household as