The National Center on Family Homelessness, Newton Centre, MA 02459, USA.
Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2010 Oct;80(4):496-504. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01052.x.
Approximately 1.5 million children experience homelessness in America each year. The current economic recession and staggering numbers of housing foreclosures have caused the numbers of homeless families to increase dramatically. The impact of homelessness on families and children is devastating. Without a place to call home, children are severely challenged by unpredictability, dislocation, and chaos. Homelessness and exposure to traumatic stresses place them at high risk for poor mental health outcomes. Despite the pressing needs of these children, federal policy during the last decade has focused primarily on chronically homeless adult individuals-to the exclusion of the families. In 2010, however, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness issued a comprehensive plan to eradicate homelessness for all people through interagency collaboration and aligning mainstream services. A key goal is to prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children within 10 years. This policy-focused article describes several tools that can be used to help achieve this goal, including: general principles of care for serving homeless families and children; BSAFE-a promising practice that helps families access community-based services and supports; and the Campaign to End Child Homelessness aimed at action on behalf of homeless families and children at the national, state, and local levels.
美国每年约有 150 万名儿童无家可归。当前的经济衰退和惊人的住房止赎数量导致无家可归家庭的数量急剧增加。无家可归对家庭和儿童的影响是毁灭性的。由于没有一个可以称之为家的地方，儿童面临着巨大的挑战，如不可预测性、流离失所和混乱。无家可归和遭受创伤性压力使他们面临心理健康不良的高风险。尽管这些儿童的需求迫切，但过去十年联邦政策主要侧重于长期无家可归的成年个人，而忽略了这些家庭。然而，2010 年，美国无家可归者问题联合委员会发布了一项全面计划，通过机构间合作和调整主流服务，消除所有人的无家可归现象。一个关键目标是在 10 年内防止和结束家庭、青年和儿童的无家可归现象。这篇以政策为重点的文章介绍了几种可以用来帮助实现这一目标的工具，包括：为服务无家可归家庭和儿童提供的一般护理原则；BSAFE-一种有前途的实践，可以帮助家庭获得社区服务和支持；以及结束儿童无家可归运动，旨在代表全国、州和地方各级的无家可归家庭和儿童采取行动。
