Homelessness Has Significant Impact on Young Children’s Health

The Center for Housing Policy, the research division of the nonprofit advocacy organization National Housing Conference, recently released a brief describing research on the health impacts of homelessness on children.  The research shows that pre- or post-natal homelessness can have lifelong health effects, and the younger and longer a child is homeless, the poorer the child’s health outcome. 


The brief notes that the timing of homelessness is important, and being homeless both before and after birth is associated with significantly worse health outcomes than being homeless before or after birth alone, as shown in the chart below.

Image Source:  Children’s Health Watch Data via Center for Housing Policy brief

Additionally, the brief notes that the duration of homelessness affects health outcomes: young children who are homeless for more than six months fair more poorly than children who were never homeless or homeless for fewer than six months.  Further, being homeless for at least six months is especially harmful to infants as compared with toddlers, as shown in the below chart.

Image Source:  Children’s Health Watch Data via Center for Housing Policy brief