Inclusiveness: Addressing the Needs of Homeless Single Fathers with Children

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Executive Summary

Homelessness among single father families is a growing phenomenon in our society. As the gap between wages and housing costs widen, more and more single father families are catapulted onto the streets. Yearly, approximately 600,000 families, including more than 2.5 million children, face homelessness in the United States and single fathers with children make-up approximately 15% of that number (National Center on Family Homelessness, 2014; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014).

Single father families who do not have a home, have become a complex issue and this complexity contributes to the lack of accessible services and lack of coordination among shelters, organizations, and government agencies to help father families in need (Bassuk, 2010, p.498). Key solutions to address the needs include; coordination and collaboration amongst service providers, access to adequate and affordable housing, the creation of living wage jobs, father-friendly programs, childcare and after-school programs, and an increase in government supports. In order to efficiently and successfully assist fathers experiencing homelessness, it’s going to take federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and leaders to work on cohesive solutions.

Scope of the Problem

Though resources for overcoming homelessness are plentiful throughout our nation for mothers and Veterans, finding resources and accommodations for a single father with children is extremely difficult. The difficulties are further compounded by the lack of father-friendly services from local and government service providers (Bui & Graham, 2006; Schindler & Coley, 2007).

The findings of several studies show that many homeless single fathers face gender related discriminations due in part to cultural expectations of men and stereotypical notion that men are innately

incompetent to raise a happy and healthy child (Bui & Graham, 2006: Schindler & Coley, 2007; Hamer & Marchioro, 2002).

The fact is most of the social and shelter services available to parents are geared toward women with children, which inadvertently excludes custodian fathers (Bui & Graham, 2006; Hamer & Marchioro, 2002; Schindler & Coley, 2007; Paquette & Bassuk, 2011). With more than 2.6 million households in America being headed by single fathers (Pew Research Center, 2013), gaining access to much needed services and resources must be reevaluated and adjusted to accommodate single father households.

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Contextual Factors Contributing to     Homelessness

Lack of affordable rental units – According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a shortage of 4.5 million affordable units to meet the demands of renters and the lack of affordable housing is a leading causes of homelessness among households with children (NLIHC, 2015, p. 2).

Underfunded Housing Programs – The existing federal housing assistance programs (HUD, Section 8) are shrinking, making the average wait time to be between 24-35 months. The NLIHC state that assisted housing is so limited “that just one out of every four eligible households receives it” (NLIHC, 2015, p.1).