Homelessness - Kids' Page

Approximately 3000 school children in Toronto live in shelters. Toronto Star - Oct. 1, 2007

Ray, the Paper Man, has no home. Unfortunately there are many people — families, young children, teens, women and men — who have no place to live. There may be someone you see in your neighbourhood or who goes to your school who is homeless.

Some reasons people become homeless: Being poor Escaping abuse Mental or emotional illness Lack of affordable housing Losing a job Moving to a new country War Natural disasters

Have you got ideas or stories of your own about homelessness? Send them to me. I’ll put them on my page: What Does “Home” Mean?

LEARN MORE:

11-year old Hanna Taylor started The Ladybug Foundation to help the homeless. She says that being nice to someone who is homeless is one of the most important things you can do. See what else she suggests.

1/4 of the homeless people in Toronto are under 12. etfo - danny themes

The Calgary School Board’s Many Faces of Poverty and Homelessness has sections for children of different ages and a separate site for teachers.

Almost 1/3 of Canada's homeless people are 16-24-year-olds. www.raisingtheroof.org

The City of Toronto’s Student Resources Website answers some questions about homelessness in Toronto. Check out the FAQ page.

  16-year-old Harlan is giving the houseless in West Vancouver a voice. He has been inspired to call them "houseless" rather than "homeless" because "most of them feel that home is something they carry inside them". Find out about The Houseless Project. Check out Harlan's poems here inspired by houseless people he met through his project.

Non-Fiction Picture Books:

Homelessness by Kaye Stearman, Raintree Steck-Vaughn Company, 1999
Why Do People Live on the Street? by Kaye Stearman, 2001
Home by Jean Harrison, Smart Apple Media, 2005
Erik is Homeless by Keith Elliot Greenberg, Learner Publications, 1992
The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge by Tim Huff, Castle Quay Books, 2007 - this includes a useful discussion guide at the back for teachers and parents.
The Homeless by Laurie Beckelman, Gestwood House, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1989

Fiction Picture books:

Edward the Crazy Man by Marie Day, Annick Press, 2002
The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern, Turtle Books,1997
Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by DyAnn Di Salvo, Mulberry Books, 1991
Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, Clarion Books, 1991

Chapter Books:

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson, 1958 – Newberry Honor book