In the state of Michigan, there are approximately 51,000 homeless children, 15,000 under the age of five years old.
(United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 2018; Mihaylova, 2019)
Powerlessness
Exploitation
Violence
Population
Homeless children in Michigan lack the stability, safety, and resources necessary to thrive. Under the federal education law, a child is homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
Homeless children are often homeless due to their parents being homeless, abusive, negligent, or incompetent. Homeless children have a much higher risk of dropping out of school, being obese, and being physically or sexually abused.
(Pilnik, 2018)
It much more common for children to be homeless than someone would think, and many homeless children are currently hidden in the school system, with many of their teachers and peers unaware of their living situation.
Prevalence
Michigan has one of the largest populations of homeless children in the United States, ranking 6th in the country. There are currently 51,000 homeless children in Michigan, and it is expected that this is a much larger number, due to the significant expected undercount in Detroit.
Total Number of Homeless Students in MI in 2018
Public school data reported to the U.S. Department of Education during the 2016-2017 school year shows that an estimated 39,092 public school students experienced homelessness over the course of the year.
Of that total, 611 students were unsheltered, 8,044 were in shelters, 2,514 were in motels, and 27,923 were doubled up.
(United State Interagency Council, 2018)
Key Terms
Imminent Risk of Homelessness:
An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence.
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Runaway Youth:
The term ‘runaway’, used with respect to youth, means an individual who is less than 18 years of age and who removes their self from their home or legal residence without the permission of a parent or legal guardian.
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Street Youth:
The term ‘street youth’ means an individual who— (A) is— (i) a runaway youth; or (ii) indefinitely or intermittently a homeless youth; and (B) spends a significant amount of time on the street or in other areas that increase the risk for sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, prostitution, or drug abuse.
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Throwaway Youth:
A term used to describe two types of circumstance: 1) A child who is asked or told to leave home by a parent or other household adult, without adequate alternative care being arranged for the child by a household adult, and with the child out of the household overnight; or 2) A child who is away from home and is prevented from returning home by a parent or other household adult, without adequate alternative care being arranged for the child by a household adult, and the child is out of the household overnight.
(“Key Federal Terms and Definitions of Homelessness Among Youth”, 2018)