acting out: Misbehaving or being disruptive in the hope of calling attention to oneself.

AFDC: Aid to Families with Dependent Children; the federal government's primary program for helping poor and homeless children by supplying money for food, housing, and other living expenses.

almshouse: Eighteenth-century term for a privately financed home for the poor. Alms is help or charity given to the poor.

barracks-style shelter: A type of shelter for the homeless, so called because inside it looks like an army barracks. Usually barracks shelters are run by local governments in big buildings such as unused auditoriums or gymnasiums. Cots are set up where people can spend the night and get advice on where to go for food and medical care.

boarder babies: Those who have no homes and no one to care for them at birth, and so remain in the hospital indefinitely.

eviction: Being forced to move...