HOMELESS CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN NEW-HAMPSHIRE - A RURAL PERSPECTIVE

Twenty case studies of homeless students and their families in New Ham pshire reveal that homelessness is a problem in rural, as well as urba n, areas. Homelessness for two-parent families came in the wake of eco nomic reverses, while for single-parent families the precipitating eve nt was family disruption. Homeless school-children were found to suffe r serious setbacks both academically and socially, including exhaustio n, lack of time and a place to do homework, coordinating school schedu les with work schedules, instability, out-of-school periods, frequent changes of school, and stigmatization. These problems characterized no t only the period of literal homelessness but also the entire resident ial crisis episode surrounding that period.