Mississippi Forum For the Future Coalition receives grant from Thrive From the Start to address housing instability and homelessness among infants, toddlers, and expectant mothers
Jackson, MS – The Mississippi Forum for the Future, with support from the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance, has received a $100,000 grant from Thrive From the Start to address housing instability and homelessness during pregnancy and early childhood–a critical period for health, development, and long-term well-being.
Housing insecurity during the prenatal-to-three period is both a public health crisis and an economic challenge for Mississippi. Infants and toddlers are the age group most at risk for homelessness, and the state continues to face high eviction rates, unsafe housing conditions, and a severe shortage of affordable housing. These challenges directly impact maternal health, infant outcomes, and family stability.
“When people think about homelessness, they don’t always think about babies,” said Biz Harris, Executive Director of the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance. “Yet in Mississippi, nearly 1.15% of children from birth to age three experience homelessness, and families with children face twice the risk of eviction compared to households without children. During such a vulnerable time, no child or expectant parent should have the anxiety of not knowing where they will sleep at night. We have a responsibility to act, and this grant allows us to work alongside families and housing experts to create meaningful, lasting change for our youngest children.”
As part of the work, Forum for the Future will bring together these organizations who work across housing, homeless services, early childhood health, among others to elevate evidence-informed programs and policies that create a comprehensive system that supports families and addresses the root causes of homelessness.
Partners in this effort include Harya Tarekegn, Mississippi Center for Justice; Romona Taylor Williams, Mississippi Communities United for Prosperity; Tonya Ware & David Batts, ReadyNation Mississippi; Bethany Rigney, Homeless Coordinator for the City of Hattiesburg, Miss.; Mario Robinson, Save the Children; and Jacinda Roach, Mississippi Public Health Institute.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to our partners who are not officially participating in the grant, but who have provided feedback during our early research and proposals, Laken Camp of the American Heart Association and Crystal Veazey of the Mississippi State Department of Health and Lead Poisoning Prevention and Healthy Homes Program.
QUOTES FROM ZERO TO THREE & THRIVE FROM THE START
“Children are at greatest risk for experiencing homelessness during their first year of life and the number of families in homeless shelters is rising. There is a prevalence of housing instability and homelessness among pregnant people and families with young children, but it is often less visible and in people’s minds compared to other populations,” said Abra Lyons-Warren, Director of Housing Is. “We know that when families have safe, stable housing—safe shelter when they need it—access to high-quality early development programs, family-friendly policies and other supports that meet their needs, young children have a strong foundation to grow and thrive.”
“Homelessness during pregnancy or within the first three years of a child’s life has lifelong consequences on physical health and mental well-being,” said Jamie Colvard, Sr. Policy and Systems Director at ZERO TO THREE. “We can’t overstate how important it is for partners to come together to address prenatal-three homelessness and housing instability in the states. This work will build upon and amplify the work already happening in many states across the country.”
“Families with babies and toddlers can be navigating homelessness yet never show up in a shelter,” said Barbara Duffield, Executive Director, SchoolHouse Connection. “Too often, homelessness for infants and toddlers is ‘invisible’ — a newborn sleeping in a different place every week, a toddler cycling between couches — while families still can’t easily access child care, early intervention, shelter, housing or other services that support healthy development. These state awards are a catalyst to connect the systems that touch families first—early childhood, health, housing, and homelessness response — so families can get stable housing and the services that babies and parents need, at the same time.”
“Stable housing is essential for healthy child development,” said Lori Fresina, of the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers. “Homelessness and housing insecurity put infants and toddlers at risk. Together we can advance policies that give every family a safe, secure start.”
“We know that when we alleviate chronic stress—a contributor of child abuse and neglect—we can foster healthy and stable environments for families,” said Catherine Murphy, Sr. Research Manager, Prevent Child Abuse America. “By partnering across sector at the local, state, and national levels, we can build a more supportive system for families and prevent homelessness for our youngest children.”
ZERO TO THREE, through its coordination of the Thrive From the Start network and with its national partners, funded 10 grants in states across the country. This grant program was made possible with funding from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative.
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About Thrive From the Start:
Thrive From the Start brings together leaders from across the early childhood, housing, and homelessness systems dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. Thrive From the Start brings together leaders from across the early childhood, housing, homelessness, health and child welfare systems dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. Partners in Thrive From the Start include ZERO TO THREE, SchoolHouse Connection, Prevent Child Abuse America, Housing Is, and the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers. Learn more about Thrive From the Start’s national policy agenda focused on solving PN-3 homelessness and housing instability and our work to build a growing network of organizations committed to cross-sector solutions for a coordinated, holistic support system at https://thrivefromthestart.org/.
About Mississippi Early Learning Alliance:
The Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) envisions an equitable early childhood system
where Mississippi children reach their full potential. MELA exists to build, strengthen, and
support coalitions to advocate for systems change to improve early learning and child
development outcomes in our state. We champion shared policies. We promote innovative
and evidence-based practices. We support the collaborative design of solutions and
collective action. We elevate the voices and experiences of individuals who work in the field
of early care and education and parents of Mississippi children most impacted by racial and
economic inequality.
About Mississippi Forum For the Future:
The Mississippi Forum For the Future is a movement to transform the early childhood system in Mississippi. More specifically, it is a collective impact initiative designed to help early childhood organizations, business leaders, and policymakers break down silos and leverage our combined efforts, resources, and expertise to build a state-of-the-art early childhood system that meets the needs of all children and families in Mississippi. Learn more at MississippiFuture.org