Children First Academy is a charter school with a goal to provide services directed toward homeless children in grades K-8.  Our campuses in Tempe and Phoenix serve homeless children all over the Phoenix Valley.   Our students have an educational environment that fits the needs of the homeless.  Our services go beyond responsibilities of regular schools and our children depend on community contributions from individuals, businesses and organizations in the community to help support this desperate effort.  The children we serve and teach are in need of medical and dental assistance, clothing including socks and shoes, food, personal hygiene supplies, and school supplies.  We also try to make each child's birthday special since many of our children have never celebrated a birthday before coming to our school.  We look for donations of toys, treats, party decorations, plastic utensils and paper ware. Please find a way to help as a sponsor or volunteer.  Help us put the children first in Arizona. The first thing to note about homeless statistics is that there are more homeless people today than at any previous time in U.S. history. Ordinarily people fallen under hard times are now homeless people and some are with homeless children. This new wave of homeless people and homeless children in America now has them competing for space in shelters, temporary hotels, under bridges, benches, and parks to sleep.

Homeless Statistics - the number of homeless people in America:
Although it is impossible to count the number of homeless people in America accurately, experts on homeless people estimate that there are more than three million homeless people in America at this time. Also, the number of homeless people increases every year.

The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are more than 6,500 homeless people in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area. Among the number of homeless people, over one million are homeless children. Homelessness is epidemic and the number of homeless people and homeless children increase every year.  Homeless statistics in America - demographic of homeless people statistics in America:

In 2003, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population;42% of these children were under the age of five (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty,2004). This same study found that unaccompanied minors comprised 5% of the urban homeless population.

The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. In its 2005 survey of 25 American cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that families with children comprised 33% of the homeless population, a definite increase from previous years (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005). These proportions are likely to be higher in rural areas. Research indicates that families, single mothers, and children make up the largest group of people who are homeless in rural areas (Vissing, 1996).

As the number of families experiencing homelessness rises and the number of affordable housing units shrinks, families are subject to much longer stays in the shelter system. For instance, in the mid-1990s in New York, families stayed in a shelter an average of five months before moving on to permanent housing. Today, the average stay is seven months, and some surveys say the average is closer to a year (U. S. Conference of Mayors, 2005 and Santos, 2002).

In 2004, 12.7% of the U.S. population, or 37 million people, lived in poverty. Both the poverty rate and the number of poor people have increased in recent years, up from 12.5% in 2003, and up 1.1 million from 2003 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2005). 36% of persons living in poverty are children; in fact, the 2004 poverty rate of 17.6% for children under 18 years old is significantly higher than the poverty rate for any other age group. The connection between impoverished workers and homelessness can be seen in homeless shelters, many of which house significant numbers of full-time wage earners. A survey of 24 U.S. cities found that 15% of persons in homeless situations are employed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005). Surveys in past years have yielded the percentage of homeless working to be as high as 26% (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2000). In a number of cities not surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors - as well as in many states - the percentage is even higher (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1997).

The future of job growth does not appear promising for many workers: a 1998 study estimated that 46% of the jobs with the most growth between 1994 and 2005 pay less than $16,000 a year; these jobs will not lift families out of poverty (National Priorities Project, 1998).2 Moreover, 74% of these jobs pay below a livable wage ($32,185 for a family of four).

Thus, for many Americans, work provides no escape from poverty. The benefits of economic growth have not been equally distributed; instead, they have been concentrated at the top of income and wealth distributions. A rising tide does not lift all boats, and in the United States today, many boats are struggling to stay afloat. Moreover, extreme poverty is growing more common for children, especially those in femaleheaded and working families. This increase can be traced directly to the declining number of children lifted above one-half of the poverty line by government cash assistance for the poor (Children's Defense Fund and the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1998). Excessive waiting lists for public housing mean that people must remain in shelters or inadequate housing arrangements longer. For instance, in the mid-1990s in New York, families stayed in a shelter an average of five months before moving on to permanent housing. In a survey of 24 cities, people remain homeless an average of seven months, and 87% of cities reported that the length of time people are homeless has increased in recent years (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005). Longer stays in homeless shelters a result in less shelter space available for other homeless people, who must find shelter elsewhere or live on the streets.