Homelessness among pregnant and postpartum persons and young children and their families is a significant, growing problem in Illinois. Housing insecurity and homelessness while pregnant contributes to an array of adverse maternal health outcomes. Similarly, homeless experiences during early childhood years can have lasting impacts on child health and development. Unfortunately, child and family homelessness is often less visible than homelessness among other populations and is therefore often overlooked by government officials and other community leaders. The result is that national, state, and local responses to persistent homelessness do not adequately address the unique needs and conditions that families experiencing homelessness experience.
To address this critical issue, Start Early, the University of Illinois Chicago Center for Research on Women and Gender, and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless are collaborating on the Housing Insecurity and Homelessness in Illinois among the Pregnant and Parenting project (HIHIPP). The project team will lead the development of an action plan to prevent and end homelessness for expectant parents, young children, and their families in Illinois.
