1 in 50 US Children are Homeless

A reporter from Ebony magazine asked President Obama about homelessness tonight - a topic that probably has not been asked at Presidential press conference in 25 years. The question was based on a recent study that slipped by 2 weeks ago, reporting that child homelessness had increased to a frightening and shameful level during the mid 2000s.

Obama's response showed a real commitment to tackling the issue. After saying he was "heartbroken" and reciting the hoped for benefits of his economic plan, ee said he hopes to impart on people in Washington that it is "not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours." A moral argument.

From Time Magazine:

Even before the financial and home foreclosure crisis hit full stride, the number of homeless children in America had reached an alarming level. The National Center on Family Homelessness released a report today that estimates that one in every 50 American children was homeless between 2005 and 2006. That totals roughly 1.5 million kids.
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The numbers are likely to get worse as the economy continues to decline. "We know the numbers are going to skyrocket," says Ellen Bassuk, president of the Newton, Mass.-based Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School.
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Indeed, a quick survey of the country provides lots of evidence to support those fears. Chicago public school officials report the number of its 405,000 students deemed homeless soared to 11,143 last month from 9,182 in February 2006.
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According to the new report, the states with the highest number of homeless children in the period studied were Texas (337,105), California (292,624), Louisiana (204,053), Georgia (58,397) and Florida (49,886). Roughly three-quarters of homeless children are of elementary school age, and 42% are below age six.
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It's the narrative that Trisha Parker, 19, is hoping to avoid for her infant son. Parker can't live with her mother, who receives federal housing assistance, and neither can she live with her grandmother in the Chicago suburbs much longer. Parker says she completed training to be a medical technician, but couldn't find work in the field. She was recently hired as a security guard, earning $11 an hour. But that's hardly enough to afford even a $600 a month studio apartment. Larger units are beyond her reach. "They want the first and last month's security deposit" which is, she figures, about $2,000, maybe $2,500. "It really is a lot."