Recession Babies

Nobody wants to end up in a homeless shelter. But what if your life started in one?

Babies born today are entering a world grappling with one of the worst economies in a generation. But some of these "recession babies" have it much worse than others. Instead of heading home to pastel nurseries with closets full of teeny tiny clothes, an increasing number of newborns are leaving hospitals for precarious housing situations, such as crowded shelters or motel rooms. 

Blame it on the recession.

Anastasia Garcia is one of the chubby new faces of the recession, according to the Sun Sentinel. At just five weeks, the only home she's known is a crowded shelter room in Florida. Her parents are hopeful that their situation is short-lived:

"When we are lucky enough to be settled, we will tell her that things were not always as easy as you may think," said Angela Garcia, 26, laying the infant down in a crib crammed into the corner of a small room at the Broward Outreach Center in Pompano Beach she shares with her husband David Henson and their two older daughters, ages 2 and 6.

In an alarming trend, the Sentinel reports that homeless service agencies throughout South Florida are reporting sharp increases of babies and young children in homeless shelters. 

While it's important to note the uptick in homelessness among very young children, these types of stories make me wary. WIthout presenting the big picture, it's all too easy to "blame the mother" for having a child when they can't support it. (I can practically hear the banter at Florida retirement homes.) Thus, this story should not be presented in a vacuum, so consider the big picture. 

The reason for this uptick in family homelessness is multi-layered, the least of which is making a "poor decision" to have a child. The lack of livable wages and family-friendly workplace policies, particularly in low-wage work, make it tough to keep a job and afford day care (even if you're healthy... if you need a sick day at a low-wage job, tough luck). Furthermore, there is a lack of decent, affordable housing in this country. Case in point: there is no county in the nation where a person working full-time at minimum wage can afford median rent. 

So if there's anything to be irked about after reading this story, it is that children - "recession babies", if you will - bear the brunt of the punishment for the lack of family-friendly policies and housing. 

For pregnant women and newborns, health concerns are magnified by poverty and homelessness. Studies show that homeless children are more likely than other children to have asthma and ear infections, and suffer from emotional and behavior problems.

And this is just the beginning. If homelessness or poverty perpetuates throughout a child's life, the problems become worse. 

And you thought you had it bad in this sagging economy?