Introduction In the United States, 1.5 million children are homeless. 1.5 million children do not have adequate housing, nutrition, healthcare or education. When a child is homeless, it's not just the home that is missing. They are more likely than other children to experience hunger, constant illness, mental disorders, and developmental delays.1 Being homeless negatively impacts a child's overall well-being and ability to thrive within their community throughout their lives. childhood and adulthood. This prevents them from living healthy lives and getting an adequate education, as homeless children face many more obstacles, such as greater health risks and a lack of educational opportunities, than children who are not homeless. They are less likely to contribute to society, as less than a quarter of homeless children graduate from high school or receive a well-paying job, leaving them trapped in a life of poverty. Homeless children are the perfect portrait of poverty. Children are deprived of their basic needs – shelter, food, security and other resources – necessary for any individual to emerge from a life of poverty. In the United States, it is every individual's human right to have their basic needs met; The US government and community must ensure that these rights apply to all people in order to create a more thriving and prosperous society. In an effort to address child homelessness, the U.S. government has implemented legislation to provide funding and support for homeless services, including provisions under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. However, this is not enough. To help homeless children overcome homelessness-related obstacles, such as poor health care and education, and end child homelessness, the U.S. government must actively ensure that children's homelessness is addressed homeless. By implementing and enforcing the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which increase the services and funding included in the McKinney-Vento Act, the United States will make great strides toward ending homelessness. The Legislature must also pass the HEARTH Act of 2009 as the new authorization to amend the McKinney-Vento Act and consider the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2009 and other laws… half of the document… tion for the homeless. June 2008. April 5, 2009 "Education Pays..." Bureau of Labor Statistics. March 6, 2009. U.S. Department of Labor. April 29, 2009 .Hart-Shegos, Ellen. Homelessness and its effect on children. Ed. Anna Ray. December 1999. Family Housing Fund. April 5, 2009. P. 4. Homeless young people. June 2008. National Coalition for the Homeless. April 29, 2009. McKinney-Vento Law. National Coalition for the Homeless. June 2008. April 6, 2009. McKinney-Vento Reauthorization. April 2009. National Alliance to End Homelessness. April 29, 2009 http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/policy/legislature/mckinney_vento>."Summary of the HEARTH Act, as passed." Reauthorizing Homeless Assistance: National Policy Update September 2008. October 21, 2008. National Alliance to End Homelessness. February 23, 2009. Path: PDF file.