Webinar Date: January 30, 2024

Evicting Children: How Babies Bear the Brunt of the Nation’s Housing Crisis and What We Can Do About It

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In October 2023, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study revealing that the Americans who are the most at risk of eviction are babies and toddlers, and that children under the age of 5 make up the largest group by age of people whose households have had an eviction action filed against them. The risk of eviction for all children under the age of 18 is consistently high.

These findings are consistent with data showing that the person who is the most likely to stay in a homeless shelter in the U.S. is an infant under the age of one.

Despite the disproportionate risks of homelessness faced by infants, toddlers, and school-age children, and the harmful impact of homelessness on their health, development, and future learning, these children are invisible to the public, policymakers, housing/homelessness system, and, all too often, even to the early childhood programs, and public schools that could mitigate the impact of homelessness on child development and connect families to housing and services.

This webinar reviews the study’s findings and examine its implications for policies and practices to stabilize children, youth, and families. In addition, participants learn from practitioners about efforts to prevent evictions among families and respond to the needs of all family members when evictions do occur. Finally, we look at policy reforms that can prevent and mitigate harm.