More than 8 million children are experiencing the effects of the foreclosure crisis, according to a new report by First Focus, a Washington advocacy group.
Of those 8 million children, the report says, 2.3 million have already lost their homes, 3 million are at serious risk of losing their homes, and another 3 million have either lost or are at risk of losing rented homes.
The report looks at the effects of foreclosures on children at the state level, highlighting 10 states in which children have been hit the hardest by foreclosures. Arizona, California, Florida, and Nevada have been affected most severely, where between 12 percent and 19 percent of children are affected by foreclosures.
The study says children in families experiencing foreclosures are more likely to move than other families, which negatively affects students’ academic achievement. Specifically, children who move midyear have lower levels of mathematics and reading achievement than their peers, with each move negatively affecting achievement at a rate equivalent to about one month of schooling.
