IntroductionIn the United States, 1.5 million children are homeless. 1.5 million children are deprived of adequate shelter, food, health care or education. When a child is homeless, they are not just left without a home. They are more likely than other children to suffer from hunger, constant illness, mental disorders, and developmental delays.1 Being homeless negatively affects a child's overall well-being and ability to cope. thrive within their community throughout their childhood and into adulthood. This hinders their ability to lead healthy lives and receive an adequate education, as homeless children face many more obstacles, such as increased health risks and lack of educational opportunities, than children who are not. They are less likely to be able to contribute to society, since fewer than a quarter of homeless children graduate or get a well-paying job, locking them into a life of poverty. Child homelessness is the perfect portrait of poverty. Children are deprived of their basic needs – shelter, food, safety and other resources – which are necessary for every individual to escape a life of poverty. In the United States, every individual has the right to have their basic needs met; the government and the American community must ensure that these rights are applied to all in order to create a more thriving and prosperous society. In an effort to address the problem of homeless children, the U.S. government has implemented legislation to provide funding and support for services for the homeless, including provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. However, this is not enough. To help homeless children overcome barriers to homelessness, such as poor health care and education, and end child homelessness, the United States government must actively ensure that the problem of child homelessness is resolved. By implementing and enforcing the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which expand the services and funding included in the McKinney-Vento Act, the United States will make greater progress toward total elimination of homelessness. The Legislature must also pass the HEARTH Act of 2009 to reauthorize the McKinney-Vento Act Amendment and consider the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2009 and other laws...... middle of paper ...... tion for the homeless. June 2008. April 5, 2009. “Education Pays…” Bureau of Labor Statistics. March 6, 2009. United States Department of Labor. April 29, 2009. Hart-Shegos, Ellen. Homelessness and its effects on children. Ed. Anne Ray. December 1999. Family Housing Fund. April 5, 2009. p. 4.Homeless youth. June 2008. National Coalition for the Homeless. April 29, 2009. .McKinney-Vento Act. National Coalition for the Homeless. June 2008. April 6, 2009. .McKinney-Vento reauthorization. April 2009. National Alliance to End Homelessness. April 29, 2009 http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/policy/legislature/mckinney_vento>."Summary of the HEARTH Act, as passed." Homeless Assistance Reauthorization: National Policy Update, September 2008. October 21, 2008. National Alliance to End Homelessness. February 23, 2009. Path: PDF file.