What does this say about America? New study finds that child homelessness epidemic has reached a historic high

After a surge in recent years, a record number of children in the United States are homeless, and could be as high as one out of every 30, a recent report has revealed.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The report, titled "America's Youngest Outcasts," was compiled from information collected from every state in the U.S. by the National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH).

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The report was based on the number of homeless children in public schools as compiled by the Department of Education-1.3 million-and estimates on the number of homeless pre-school children. The report found that about two-and-a-half million American children were homeless at some point in 2013, up 8% from 2012.

NCFH says that to stop and reverse the growing number of homeless children programs that offer affordable housing need to be expanded, as do programs to educate homeless parents and provide them with employment.

Services should also be offered to mothers who have had to leave their homes because of domestic violence.

In California the epidemic of homelessness in youth is the most severe. While the state only has an eighth of the total U.S. population, it accounts for more than a fifth of the nation's homeless children, about 527,000.

Carmela DeCandia, the co-author of the report and director of the NCFH, said that while the federal government has made progress in reducing homelessness among veterans and the chronically homeless, less attention has been paid towards families and children.

"The same level of attention and resources has not been targeted to help families and children," she said. "As a society we're going to pay a high price, in human and economic terms."

States were ranked via the extent of child homelessness, their current efforts to fight it and the overall level of well-being for children living in the state.

Minnesota, Nebraska and Massachusetts ranked highest, while Alabama, Mississippi and California were at the bottom of the list.

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