Homelessness can have lasting impacts on kids, study shows

(FOX 2) - Homelessness is in the public eye in Detroit following the tragic deaths of two kids who suffered hypothermia while sleeping in a van before they were taken to the hospital on Monday.

But as research old and new has shown, stable housing represents a foundational pillar in a person's life - and the impacts are felt even harder in kids. 

Big picture view:

A study published in the Journal of American Medical Association reveals just how much that children absorb from their surroundings.

Kids are like sponges, says Dr. Jacquie Avery, and what happens in their home affects their world view, their mental health, and their future success. Even the fear of becoming homeless can have an impact.

"These are families who aren't necessarily homeless or experiencing housing instability at the moment, but they just have fear and increased concern of that," said Avery.

In other words, when a parent is stressed, the kid picks up on that stress - no matter their background.

"We still see just this fear of losing housing is affecting not only the parents, but also the children," Avery said. "With the most impact on children's mental health being those younger kiddos."

Local perspective:

When local mothers like Tateona Williams struggle to find housing, then her kids suffer as a result. 

She told FOX 2 this week that she had worked to keep her kids fed, clothed, and in school. While she had reached out to Detroit for assistance, shelter never came - despite beds being available near where she parked her van the night she lost two of her kids.

An investigation is ongoing, but the city's recent promise to overhaul how it reaches out and connects struggling families to short-term and long-term housing is now the focus of Detroit's housing department.

Improving that disconnect would lead to improvements in outcomes throughout a child's life, Avery says.

"If you have unstable housing then that places you at an increase risk for having poor health outcomes, poor mental health outcomes," she said.

That's why, before problems like mental health, addiction, education, and beyond can be addressed, stable housing must be secured.