Springer Supporting Families Experiencing Homelessness: Current Practices and Future Directions

In the face of a rapid rise in homelessness among US families, this study addresses the broader ecology of the problem, reviewing current research across a range of risk factors and making informed recommendations for future research and policy direction. Review From the reviews: “This edited volume provides a comprehensive look at the needs of homeless families, the human service system’s responses to those needs, and the effectiveness of those interventions. … Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels/libraries.” (A. Dworsky, Choice, Vol. 51 (8), April, 2014) “This book is an extremely welcome addition to the literature on homelessness, and the only one solely devoted to the needs of families and children. This timely volume is a creative compendium of articles that explores every aspect of the issue and describes the cutting edge of the field.” – Ellen L. Bassuk, M.D., National Center on Family Homelessness, Center for Social Innovation, and Harvard Medical School From the Back Cover “This book is an extremely welcome addition to the literature on homelessness, and the only one solely devoted to the needs of families and children. This timely volume is a creative compendium of chapters that explores every aspect of the issue and describes the cutting edge of the field.” – From the foreword, Ellen L. Bassuk, M.D., National Center on Family Homelessness, Center for Social Innovation, and Harvard Medical School With more American families being increasingly forced into homelessness, Supporting Families Experiencing Homelessness aims to raise the standard and scope of services provided to families without homes through practices that are both strengths-based and culturally competent. All major aspects of this important topic are analyzed, with recommendations for what is needed to improve current programs or establish new ones. Chapters set out the particular needs of parents, children, and teens as well as homeless subpopulations, such as youth who age out of foster care. This book presents a real-world framework for services that are client-centered, are integrated across provider systems, and follow families in their transition to stable housing. Included in this volume: The ecology of family homelessness. Developmental and mental health outcomes of sheltered infants, children, and adolescents. Parenting in the face of homelessness. Trauma-informed practices in shelters and other programs serving homeless families. Cultural competence and individualized care in service provision. Evidence-based and promising approaches to service provision and intervention. A groundbreaking volume, this book is a must-read for students preparing for careers in human services, all frontline providers working with those at-risk for housing instability or currently living without homes, and researchers and policy-makers working to enhance outcomes for families experiencing homelessness. About the Author Mary Haskett, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at North Carolina State University. Her program of research is designed to gain understanding of factors that contribute to harsh parenting and factors that promote resilience of young abused children. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Child Abuse & Neglect and Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Dr. Haskett is President of the APA Section on Child Maltreatment and Co-chairs the Interdivisional Task Force on Promoting Positive Parenting in the Context of Family Homelessness. Dr. Staci Perlman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies with a joint appointment in the Delaware Education Research and Development Center at the University of Delaware and the 2013 Visiting Scholar at the People’s Emergency Center (PEC) in Philadelphia. Her work focuses on using partnership-based research to promote the development and well-being of vulnerable children, youth, and families. Most recently, she has