Homeless Mothers and Children: A Longitudinal Study

While the causes of family homelessness can be traced to broader economic and psychosocial issues—particularly the gap between income and rent, the availability of decent affordable lowincome housing, and the high poverty rates among families headed by women—much remains to be learned about the course of homelessness and the experience of residential instability over time. Such information is critical for designing effective interventions and for developing prevention strategies. This study of population-based community samples of homeless and housed women and their children holds considerable promise in developing an understanding of the course of homelessness in families, the ways in which these homelessness factors differ from factors affecting vulnerability, and the consequences of homelessness for women and children.