A "study" from the National Center of Family Homelessness was released this week and garnered national press.  It reported that 1 out of every 50 children were homeless during the "study" period of 2005-2006.  In addition it was reported over 1,500,000 children were homeless during the "study" period. The "study" also ranked the Best and Worst States.

We view the "data" as suspect and exaggerative. 

The "study" defines homelessness in such a way that many quality families and successful parents' children were determined to be homeless in 2005-2006.  Let's start with a few key parts of the definition of homelessness from the "study."

Your children would be determined to be homeless if for just one day during the "study" period they were:

"• Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as doubled-up);
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations;"
Source: The National Center of Family Homelessness

Let's look at the example of an executive who gets a new job and sells his home in the state he used to work.  If the family lives in an extended stay hotel in their new state while waiting to close on their new home, the children are determined to be homeless.   Suspect data to me.

In addition, if a young couple lives with in-laws, which is highly common, the children can be determined to be homeless. 

If your family lives in a trailer park, the children can be considered homeless according to the definition.

Of the 1,500,000 children that were determined "homeless" by the "study" here is the breakdown:

 Doubled-Up (56%)
 Shelters (24%)
 Unknown/Other (10%)
 Hotels/Motels (7%)
 Unsheltered (3%)
Source: The National Center of Family Homelessness

63% of "homeless" children are either staying with other families or living in hotels! Only 37% are in the other classifications.   I would like to thank Tom Palmer for breaking this story.  He makes some additional great points on his blog.  www.tomgpalmer.com
The Worst State for Child Homelessness from the "study" is Texas.  The Best State is Connecticut.

The state rankings follow.  Read them with caution. 

	1	Connecticut
	2	New Hampshire
	3	Hawaii
	4	Rhode Island
	5	North Dakota
	6	Minnesota
	7	Wisconsin
	8	Massachusetts
	9	Maine
	10	Vermont
	11	Iowa
	12	South Dakota
	13	Illinois
	14	Pennsylvania
	15	West Virginia
	16	New Jersey
	17	Virginia
	18	Maryland
	19	Delaware
	20	Ohio
	21	Wyoming
	22	Alaska
	23	Idaho
	24	Tennessee
	25	Washington
	26	Oregon
	27	Missouri
	28	Kansas
	29	Michigan
	30	Indiana
	31	Oklahoma
	32	Alabama
	33	Montana
	34	Nebraska
	35	Colorado
	36	Arizona
	37	Utah
	38	New York
	39	South Carolina
	40	California
	41	Mississippi
	42	Kentucky
	43	Florida
	44	North Carolina
	45	Nevada
	46	Louisiana
	47	New Mexico
	48	Arkansas
	49	Georgia
	50	Texas

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