When you think of your home, you probably think of a house or apartment. But just because you think that, it doesn't mean every other child does. Some children don't have homes unless you consider riverbanks, alleys, a cardboard box, or a shelter as a home. There are more than one million homeless children around the world.

There are many reasons why people may become homeless.  Not all people start out without a home. They may have been kind of poor and lived in an old, run-down house or something. Then something goes wrong with the house or their job. It may not be a safe home anymore, so the government declares it condemned and forces the owners to move out. But they didn't sell their house, so they don't have enough money to buy a new one. Now they're homeless. Sometimes people lose their jobs and can't afford to pay their bills anymore. This could happen even to the richest person in the world. You could start out in a big house, then move to a smaller house, then move to a run-down apartment, then stay with a friend or relative for a while, and finally end up being homeless.

Some homeless people even have jobs. They may have not gotten a good education, or just can't find a job that pays enough. They may work overtime a lot, but it's never enough to pay all the bills. Sometimes even the children work, and if they're working, they don't have an education which will get them a good job, and then when they grow up, they're poor, so their children will have to work too, and they won't get an education, so they're children won't get a good job, so their children will have to work and so on. It's an endless cycle. 

Most people don't know how hard it is to be homeless. Homeless people don't have money for clothes or food or a place to live. Safety is always a worry too. They may have to fight just to live. They might go to someone's doorstep and beg for food. Or beg on a street corner. I hope you've never had to do that.

Fortunately, most large cities around the world have special shelters for homeless people.  There are many organizations that support them and provide food, supplies, clothing, and shelter.  Some of these organizations in The Red Cross, UNICEF, and Salvation Army (see our Helping Hands page for more information). 

A lot of homeless are not just grown-ups, but families with children. It's especially hard to be a homeless child. About 74% of homeless children worry that they will have no place to live. You probably just assume that there will be a house waiting for you every day. A while ago, most homeless children didn't go to school. They moved around so much that they were never in one place long enough to go to a school. They also feel different from the other kids at school because they are homeless and can't afford nice clothes and all the school supplies. But luckily today, there are programs that pay for homeless children's educations. In some places there are even special schools just for homeless children so no matter where they have to live, they can stay at the same school. Most homeless children don't do as well in school as children with homes. Homeless children have twice the chance of having a learning disability as a child who isn't homeless and three times the chance of having an emotional or behavior problem. They also get sick twice as often as children who aren't homeless.

The next time you want something, remember there are children out there who have nothing.

Citations

Television Shows

Ellerbee, Linda (Show host). (November, 2003). Nick News – Homeless Children [Television show]. Nickelodeon.

Images

Images of house, arrows, neighborhood, and food from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1> 
Images free for non-profit and personal use. 
(October-February, 2003-2004). 

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