Foster care children and family homelessness.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the association between family homelessness and children's placement in foster care.


METHODS
The prevalence of homelessness in a random sample of 195 young foster children was examined.


RESULTS
Almost half of the birth parents of the foster children had experienced homelessness. Those children were more likely than other foster children to have siblings in foster care and to be place with nonrelatives.


CONCLUSIONS
An extremely high prevalence of family homelessness was found among children in foster care. Policy implications of the association between family homelessness and placement into foster care are discussed.
Zlotnick
C
C
Center for the Vulnerable Child, Children's Hospital Oakland, Calif 94609-1809, USA.
Kronstadt
D
D
Klee
L
L
D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation