Ending Child Homelessness in Georgia

The Georgia Campaign to End Child Homelessness seeks to galvanize the will necessary to end this crisis. Because it is unacceptable for any child to be homeless for even one night, the Georgia Campaign to End Child Homelessness is a call to action with the goals of increasing public awareness, informing state and local policies, and improving programs and services to better address the needs of homeless children and families. The Georgia Campaign is an initiative of the Campaign to End Child Homelessness at The National Center on Family Homelessness in partnership with the Georgia Alliance to End Homelessness.

Child Homelessness in Georgia

More than 45,500 children experience homelessness each year in Georgia.
Children experiencing homelessness are sick four times more often than other children.
Homeless children go hungry at twice the rate of other children.

Children experiencing homelessness are four times more likely to show delayed development and twice as likely to have learning disabilities.
Children who are homeless experience a number of traumatic stressors that can lead to educational and developmental challenges.

What the Georgia Legislature and State Government Can Do

Ending child homelessness in Georgia is urgent and possible. In March 2011, the Georgia Campaign released the Georgia Plan to End Child Homelessness. The following recommendations from the Georgia Plan begin to lay the path towards preventing and ending child and family homelessness throughout the state:

Expand the supply of affordable housing units and include a priority for homeless families with children, survivors of domestic violence, and homeless youth through the State Housing Trust Fund and other potential resources.
Establish a committee in the Georgia General Assembly to address the state’s budget and investment in homelessness as well as applicable laws, standards of care, and other issues that impact children, youth, and families who are homeless.
Prioritize homeless families in all affordable housing programs including waiting lists for Section 8.
Provide dedicated state funding so that all homeless students have access to education and succeed in school. Prioritize access to early childhood education and public pre-school programs for children who are homeless.
Restore state funding for the statewide homeless coalition to support and build the work of local coalitions that are serving families, youth, and individuals who are homeless across Georgia.

Download Resources
GA Action Plan To End Child Homelessness Summary
GA Plan to End Child Homelessness by GAEH