Reaching Homeless ChildrenAges 0-5

Through Home VisitingPresented by

Sarah BenjaminEastern Suffolk BOCESLong Island, New York

WHO?

• 1/50 children experience homelessness each year

• 1.5 Million• 42% of these children are under the age of

five

(National Center on Homelessness and Poverty 2004)

WHAT?

• Early Head Start-Home Visiting• Healthy Families America (HFA)• Healthy Steps• Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool

Youngsters (HIPPY)• Nurse Family Partnership (NFP)• Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP)• Parents As Teachers (PAT)

Where?

• Shelter bunk or floor• Motel bed• Backyard• Campground• Car• Laundromat• Corner of a basement

When?

• Anytime of the morning

• Afternoon

• Early Evening

• NOW!

WHY?Home Visiting the Homeless

• What is a home?• Even the most humble home can be a

place of rest, a place to regroup, to find peace and security; a door closed to the world and a roof to keep the weather out; a place to gather ourselves in life.

• What happens when this is lost?• It needs to be replaced with an authentic

relationship!