Strengthening At Risk and Homeless Young Mothers and Children

Conditions imposed by poverty and homelessness place families, particularly children, at risk for a host of adverse outcomes. Children from extremely poor families routinely face acute traumatic life events as well as chronic stressors that stem from the broader condition of poverty. These families experience high rates of family separations, foster care placement, and interpersonal and random violence. One of the most intense and traumatic stressors is homelessness itself.

With funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The National Center, in collaboration with the Child Welfare League of America and the National Alliance to End Homelessness, is undertaking an initiative called Strengthening At Risk and Homeless Young Mothers and Children. This initiative is aimed at improving the housing, health, and development of young at-risk and homeless mothers and children nationally. By supporting innovative locally-based collaborations, we aim to increase the integration of housing/homelessness service systems and child development/welfare systems, and increase service delivery capacity through training and technical assistance. Lessons learned, such as best practices, will be strategically disseminated to promote high quality service delivery.

Applications are now being accepted in Chicago