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The word "sequestration" has dominated politics lately. Set to take effect March 1st, sequestration is the mandatory across-the-board cut to federal programs—both defense and domestic—instituted as a last resort to lower the national debt. While social safety net programs such as Medicaid and food stamps are exempt, many other programs essential for homeless families to gain housing stability face a 5% cut in funding. With the succession of budget crises and debates in recent months, it is critical to highlight the devastating impact these cuts will have if Congress, as anticipated, does not act by tomorrow.

In President Obama's State of the Union speech last night, he introduced important proposals to lift Americans out of poverty. These initiatives include increasing the minimum wage, expanding technical high schools, and rebuilding vacant homes in dilapidated neighborhoods. However, the proposal Obama introduced that will do the most to fight poverty in the long-run is the call to expand early childhood education so that all four-year-olds can access universal pre-school.

Today brought numerous remembrances of Mayor Ed Koch.  Many noted how the choices made by him and his administration continue to shape the lives of New Yorkers today. This is certainly true in the case of family homelessness. Koch had the misfortune of being in office when family homelessness exploded in New York. Before the 1980s homeless families were virtually unheard of; by 1989, the end of Koch’s time as mayor, the city had made the first, halting steps toward the development of its current system of services and shelters for homeless families.

We were pleased to be part of the conversation on the Saturday, January 26 edition of MSNBC's "Melissa Harris-Perry Show," which focused on youth and child homelessness in America. The show helped to remind Americans that the face of homelessness in the country is that of a child. The latest stats from the US Department of Education show that one out of every 40—or 1.8 million—children lacked a home during the 2010-11 school year. Imagine the average school classroom, which seats 20 kids; now imagine that two of those kids are homeless.

By now, we’ve all heard the story: The volume of high-cost, subprime mortgages issued to lenders starting in 2003 fueled a ballooning real estate industry, which overheated and collapsed in 2006. A foreclosure crisis ensued , leading to the Great Recession of December 2007 through June 2009,  the effects of which are still being felt today. Despite the severity and longevity of the foreclosure crisis, the federal government has failed to realize the importance of tracking foreclosed households. How many people who experienced foreclosure have become homeless? No one knows.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Census Bureau released its Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for 2011, which provide the most accurate and detailed poverty estimates nationwide each year.

"HUD Reports Dip in Homelessness" was one of the many headlines that heralded the annual point-in-time count results that HUD released Monday. But this sound bite masks the reality of rising numbers of homeless families, particularly those living in shelters.

The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness has seen time and again that it’s impossible to talk about decreasing child poverty and homelessness without looking at the circumstances of the whole family.