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Story Lead: Homeless boy’s experience with violence.

When two-year old Gerry first came to the Community Children’s Center, he did not say a word to anyone. A speech specialist brought in by the center determined that he was suffering from something called selective mutisim—he would tune people out when he wanted to. He was fearful, anxious, asocial, and had an extremely hard time separating from his mother at the beginning of every day. Gerry was also homeless.

The Community Children’s Center provides child care for 71 homeless preschool children while their mothers are at work, going to school, or looking for jobs. The center offers these children a safe, nurturing environment in a world where their lives are otherwise potentially chaotic and anxiety-provoking. The teachers and staff at the Community Children’s Center attempt to provide the homeless children with the stability necessary to build a sense of self-worth and positive self-esteem.

The teachers at CCC, who are accustomed to dealing with homeless children, were still slightly perplexed by the extent of Gerry’s fear and anxiety. Then Gerry’s mother confided that before she left home, Gerry had often witnessed her boyfriend beating her up. After hearing this information, Gerry’s teachers better understood his silence. Even if children only witness violence, and are not the intended targets, they can be affected in the same way as children who are physically and sexually abused (Goodman, G. & Rosenberg, M.).

The teachers in the Community Children’s Center are attuned to identifying and working with children with special needs. "A good percentage witness or are victims of violence," said the Center’s director, Karla Rideout. In fact, an estimated 50% of homeless women and children are running from abusive situations (The Good Samaritan Homeless Center for Women with Children website).

The Center enrolled Gerry’s mother into a support and parenting skills group for parents experiencing domestic violence. And Gerry was provided with months of intensive teacher interaction, play therapy, and visits to the Child Witness to Violence Program to help him to deal with his past experiences and begin to trust people again.

While preschoolers who encounter such problems as homelessness are certainly at high risk for stress and behavioral problems, research suggests that homelessness in not as significant in determining outcome as the level of stability in the child’s life (Scmitz, Wagner, & Menke). No matter what the adversity, an environment such as the Children’s Community Center, which provides care, consistency, and attention, can assist a child to cope with and overcome the problems s/he has faced and will continue to face.

The Community Children’s Center

Horizons Initiative

90 Cushing Avenue

Dorchester, MA 02125

(617) 287-1900

email: Horizonsini@aol.com

• CCC serves 71 homeless children, ages 2 months to 6 years, and has a staff of 25, and dozens of volunteers and parents.
• CCC received accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1998. This accreditation has been attained by 5% of all childcare centers in the nation.
• CCC provides children with transportation to get to the center from 12 family shelters.⁴
• CCC offers programs on parental education to all the parents of children that attend the center.
• "The Community Children's Center focuses on helping homeless families achieve and maintain stable long-term housing, increase their skills and income level and gain more control over their lives. At the same time, it helps them deal with the stigma and other issues displaced families face daily (The Horizons Initiative. (March, 1997). The Provider, p. 3.)".

Karla Rideout

Director of Community Children's Center

90 Cushing Ave

Dorchester, MA 02155

(617)287-1900

Relevant area: Children and homelessness, abuse, and trauma

Robin Einzig, EDM

Ph.D. Student, Tufts University

Child Witness to Violence Project

(617) 627-3355

reinzig@emerald.tufts.edu

Relevant area: children & trauma

Judy Hunt

LICSW and Counselor

Child Witness to Violence Project

1 Boston Medical Center Place

MAT5

Boston, MA 02118

(617)414-5442

Relevant area: children & trauma

Betsy McAllistor-Groves

Child Witness to Violence Project

1 Boston Medical Center Place

MAT5

Boston, MA 02118

Relevant area: children & trauma

Maxine Weinreb

Child Witness to Violence Project

1 Boston Medical Center Place

MAT5

Boston, MA 02118

(617) 414-3662

Relevant area: children & trauma

Families with children makeup nearly 40% of people who become homeless. (National Coalition for the Homeless. 1012 Fourteenth St. NW #600. Washington, DC 20005-3410 (202) 737-6444. http://nch.ari.net)

Witnessing violence in the home can be as traumatic for children as being a victim of violence—children may suffer PTSD or show evidence of other behavioral or emotional problems. (Zuckerman, B., Augustyn, M., McAlister-Groves, B., & Parker, S. Silent Victims revisited: The special case of domestic violence. (1994) American Academy of Pediatrics. For reprints, contact Professor and Chairman, Boston City Hospital, 818 Harrison Ave., Talbot 214, Boston, MA 02118.)

According to a 1997 survey of 29 U.S. cities, 25% of the urban homeless are children. (National Coalition for the Homeless. 1012 Fourteenth St. NW #600. Washington, DC 20005-3410 (202) 737-6444. http://nch.ari.net )

In 1997 there were 1,500 children were homeless in the Boston area. (The Horizons Initiative: Helping hands for homeless children (1997). Brochure put out by The Horizons Initiative. 90 Cushing Ave., Dorchester, MA 02125. Horizonsini@aol.com .)

Of the 1,500 homeless children in the Boston area 51% are 0-5 years of age. (The Horizons Initiative: Helping hands for homeless children (1997). Brochure put out by The Horizons Initiative. 90 Cushing Ave., Dorchester, MA 02125. Horizonsini@aol.com.)

30-50% of the nations’ 220,000 school-age homeless children do not attend school. (Committee on Community Health Services. Health Needs of Homeless Children and Families. Pediatrics, 98 351-353.)

Four and five year old homeless children, when compared to normative groups, had significantly more behavior problems (Schteingart, J. S., Molnar, J., Klein, T. P., Lowe, C. B., & Hartmann, A. H. (1995). Homelessness and child functioning in the context of risk and protective factors moderating child outcomes. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 24, 320-331.)

Research suggests that homeless children experience significantly more stress than comparative populations (Davey, T. L. (1998). Homeless children and stress: An empirical study. Journal of Social Distress and The Homeless, 7, 29-40.) and (Bassuk, E. L., Weinreb, L. F., Dawson, R., Perloff, J. N., & Buckner, J. C. (1997). Determinants of behavior in homeless and low-income housed preschool children. Pediatrics, 100, 92-100.)

Almost 1/4 of the homeless in America are children. (The Good Samaritan Homeless Center for Women with Children. Spiritual Gift Ministries, Inc. 1117 Perimeter Center West, Suite 500E, Atlanta, Ga. 30338. (770) 399-8810. www.helpforwomen.org

Bassuk, E. L., Weinreb, L. F., Dawson, R., Perloff, J. N., & Buckner, J. C. (1997). Determinants of behavior in homeless and low-income housed preschool children. Pediatrics, 100, 92-100.)

Davey, T. L. (1998). Homeless children and stress: An empirical study. Journal of Social Distress and The Homeless, 7, 29-40.)

The Good Samaritan Homeless Center for Women with Children. Spiritual Gift Ministries, Inc.

1117 Perimeter Center West, Suite 500E, Atlanta, Ga. 30338. (770) 399-8810. www.helpforwomen.org

Goodman, G. & Roenberg, M. (1987). The child witness to family violence: clinical and legal considerations. In D. Sonkin (Ed.), Domestic violence on trial: Psychological and legal dimensions of family violence, New York: Springer.

The Horizons Initiative: Helping hands for homeless children (1997). Brochure put out by The Horizons Initiative. 90 Cushing Ave., Dorchester, MA 02125. Horizonsini@aol.com .)

National Coalition for the Homeless. 1012 Fourteenth St. NW #600. Washington, DC 20005-3410 (202) 737-6444. http://nch.ari.net

Schteingart, J. S., Molnar, J., Klein, T. P., Lowe, C. B., & Hartmann, A. H. (1995). Homelessness and child functioning in the context of risk and protective factors moderating child outcomes. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 24, 320-331.)

Zuckerman, B., Augustyn, M., McAlister-Groves, B., & Parker, S. Silent Victims revisited: The special case of domestic violence. (1994) American Academy of Pediatrics. For reprints, contact Professor and Chairman, Boston City Hospital, 818 Harrison Ave., Talbot 214, Boston, MA 02118.)

Bete, T. (March/April, 1996). He’s not heavy, he’s my brother. Early Childhood News. p. 80.

Day care pays off for the homeless. (Oct. 18, 1995) The Boston Globe, Metro-Region, B25.

Kleiman, C. (June 9, 1998). Child-care program gives homeless new start. Chicago Tribune, Section 3, p. 4.

Lewis, D. E. (Mar. 17, 1998). Centers that care for the whole family. The Boston Globe.

A place for homeless children. (October 19, 1994). The Boston Globe.

Ryan, M. (Sept. 21, 1997). Here every child is cared for. The Boston Globe, Parade. p. 1

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