Foster care children and family homelessness.

OBJECTIVES

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.