[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-599643-105":59,"doc-detail-599643-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","the-multi-dimensional-lives-of-children-who-are-homeless","The Multi-dimensional Lives of Children who are Homeless","","It challenges single-dimensional portrayals of homeless children as helpless victims defined only by status, arguing that deficit-thinking narrows public understanding and can lead services to “fix and manage” rather than build on strengths. Drawing on two-year community- and shelter-based activity programming, the manuscript presents preliminary ethnographic findings from interviews with stakeholders and surveys completed by children at an emergency homeless shelter in a Midwestern mid-size city.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-multi-dimensional-lives-of-children-who-are-homeless/599643/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-multi-dimensional-lives-of-children-who-are-homeless/599643.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"jayni","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the manuscript criticize deficit-thinking about homeless children?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It argues that deficit-thinking leads to presumptions and generalizations that narrow how their abilities and humanity are understood. This can shift services toward “fix and manage” approaches rather than support strengths and talents.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What sources inform the preliminary ethnographic findings?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The findings come from interviews with key stakeholders and surveys completed by children staying at an emergency homeless shelter in a Midwestern mid-size city.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What kinds of challenges and reasons are discussed for child homelessness?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The text highlights poverty, policy underfunding, and broader social conditions as major contributors, while also noting that unemployment and homelessness are not inevitable life trajectories for all children.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},599643,1792931173,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},3985747859343,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","The Multi-dimensional Lives of Children who are Homeless  \nSteve Grineski, Minnnesota State University—Moorhead  \nAbstract  \nIt is widely reported that children who are homeless are victimized by overwhelming challenges like poverty and ill-advised policy decisions, such as underfunding the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This act is the only federal legislation devoted to this marginalized group. Children who are homeless, however, should not be characterized as single-dimensional and hapless victims solely defined by this unwanted status. This kind of deficiency-thinking leads topresumptions, generalizations, and a narrow ascribing of not just their abilities, but their full humanity as well. Deficit-thinking may cause human service providers to try and ‘fix and manage’ children who are homeless, instead of building on their interests, gifts, and talents. Viewing children who are homeless as multi-dimensional and unfinished, with “hopes, dreams, and aspirations…passions and commitments… [and] skills, abilities, and capacities…”1 should be the reality for the more than one million children who are homeless. This manuscript provides a richer understanding for the multi-dimensional lives of children who are homeless. Interviews conducted with key stakeholders and surveys completed by children staying at an emergency homeless shelter located in a Midwestern mid-size city inform preliminary ethnographic findings presented here. Generated from a two-year community-and shelter-based activity program these findings push back against a narrowing social construction of children who are homeless, as do several studies investigating this idea. A more holistic narrative that illustrates multidimensional children who act on varied interests, gifts, and talents are suggested.  \nKeywords: homelessness, children, deficit-and asset-based thinking, public policy, ethnographic findings  \n1. William Ayers,“Popular Education: Teaching for Social Justice,” in Teaching for Social Justice, eds. William Ayers and Jean Ann Hunt (New York: The New Press Teachers College Press, 1998), xvii.  \nAt our local emergency homeless shelter one evening, Mithson, a 14 yearold Haitian-American young man, told me. “You know Steve, it’s not fair for kids like me...you know poor kids, we just don’t get the same opportunities as other kids.” And later during another conversation, Mithson elaborated on his interests with 20th century American history: “I am really interested in the Civil Rights Movement, the 1968 Olympics, black athletes, and Mohammed Ali.” Completing college so he can manage and then own a N.B.A. team is his life goal—“there should be more owners of color, he told me.” Once I asked, ‘if I asked your teachers about you, what would they tell me?’Without missing a beatMithson said, ‘He is really quiet.” This young man speaks three languages: English, Creole, and French.  \nThe Social Context of Homelessness: Reasons and Challenges  \nIn their America’s Youngest Outcasts report, The National Center on Family Homelessness questioned whether America really cares about its children: “Children define our future and therefore, lay claim to our nation’s consciences, but little attention has been given to the tragic plight of more than 1.5 million children without homes.”2 Meritocracy, a mistaken belief held by many conservative policy makers, makes maintaining, let alone expanding, federal initiatives to end child homelessness, difficult.3 This lack of attention makes living in America an exhausting struggle for the many children who make up the poorest sub-group in the country as large numbers of children lack adequate food, healthcare and stable housing. Children who are homeless have been continually identified as the fastest growing segment of the homeless population for nearly 25 years.4 Caring about and believing in these children, coupled with appropriate support services, and an authentic commitment to providing stable housing when there is nowher","cbCairasMCIxAkfn","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairasMCIxAkfn","pdf",377064,15,"English","# Abstract\n# The Social Context of Homelessness: Reasons and Challenges\n## Reasons","[{\"question\":\"Why does the manuscript criticize deficit-thinking about homeless children?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that deficit-thinking leads to presumptions and generalizations that narrow how their abilities and humanity are understood. This can shift services toward “fix and manage” approaches rather than support strengths and talents.\"},{\"question\":\"What sources inform the preliminary ethnographic findings?\",\"answer\":\"The findings come from interviews with key stakeholders and surveys completed by children staying at an emergency homeless shelter in a Midwestern mid-size city.\"},{\"question\":\"What kinds of challenges and reasons are discussed for child homelessness?\",\"answer\":\"The text highlights poverty, policy underfunding, and broader social conditions as major contributors, while also noting that unemployment and homelessness are not inevitable life trajectories for all children.\"}]","The Multi-dimensional Lives of Children who are Homeless | PDF",1792089170,38]