Millions Will Be Homeless for the Holidays

Each year when the temperature drops, cities across the country implement plans to get homeless people off the streets. Hypothermia -- prolonged exposure to extreme cold -- is a major concern in many locales. Many cities provide “warming shelters” where homeless people can come for temporary shelter. But, increasingly, those shelters don’t have space for everyone who needs it, let alone entire families who can’t afford housing.

“It's overcrowded,” David, a homeless Vietnam veteran, told Seattle’s KING5 News about a shelter he frequents. “And you can see the mass amount of people around here that don't have any place to go.”

Tent cities flourish in downturn

	Tent cities like this one in Sacramento, Calif. cropped up during the recession and foreclosure crisis.

After the Wall Street crash and economic downturn started in 2008, many Americans lost their jobs and could no longer afford to pay for their homes. Some lost their houses through foreclosure, while others couldn’t keep up with monthly rent payments.

For some, a temporary answer comes in the form of a tent, and numerous “tent cities” have sprung up across the country. One of the largest, just outside Sacramento, Calif., was home to some 200 homeless people until the city forced them to relocate. Many tent city residents never thought they’d end up that way.

“My parents always taught me to work hard in school, graduate high school, go to college, get a degree and you'll do fine,” Jim Marshall, who lost his home to foreclosure and recently lived in a tent city, told USA Today. "I did all those things. For a while, I did have that good life, but nowadays that's not the reality."

School is a challenge for homeless teens

	Schools are required by law to make transportation and other accommodations for homeless students, but many schools simply don't do it for budget reasons.

One of the biggest issues facing homeless youth is finding a school. Most school districts ask for a permanent address when a child enrolls in school, which is difficult or impossible for homeless families to provide. Homeless children also relocate a lot, moving from shelter to shelter or between temporary homes. Some school districts are beginning to provide transportation so homeless students can stay in the same school even if their family moves to a different part of the city, but the practice isn’t widespread.

A federal law called the McKinney-Vento act requires schools to take certain measures to accommodate homeless students, like appointing people to advocate for homeless youth and look for kids who need help enrolling in school. But budget constraints and a lack of resources mean many schools simply don’t follow the law.

Once homeless students are enrolled in school, their odds of graduating are much lower than average. Reading and math scores for homeless children are about 16 percent lower than the scores for all students, and fewer than one in four homeless children graduates from high school, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness.

“I want to stay in one place and be stable. It makes it hard for me to study. Then I lose focus,” Ian, a homeless student, told the NewsHour.

What’s being done?

	Salvation Army bell ringers are a familiar sight during the holiday season. This year, many of them will be outfitted with credit card machines to make donating easier.

When President Obama took office in 2009, he and Congress reauthorized the Interagency Council on Homelessness, which is made up of the heads of 19 government departments and agencies. The council recently introduced a five-year plan to end chronic homelessness and homelessness among veterans and a 10-year plan to end homelessness for families and children.

In order to meet its goals, the council is relying on help from a network of grassroots and nonprofit organizations around the country and on funding from the federal government. However, funding to nonprofits has declined significantly since the economic downturn, and Congress is focused on cutting government spending and the enormous national debt.

Volunteer organizations hope that the holiday season will see a surge in people who want to donate food, blankets and toys for homeless children. This year, iPhone apps are making it easier to find a store that has a charitable giving program, and web sites such as Volunteer.gov are matching helpers with people who need help. The Salvation Army has also armed its bell-ringing Santas with credit card readers to make donating more convenient.