A new report from the National Center on Family Homelessness finds that one in every 50 American children is now homeless, approximately 1.5 million.

"America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness" offers a comprehensive, state-by-state analysis of child homelessness, ranking the 50 states in terms of severity.

"Children without homes are on the frontline of the nation's economic crisis," says Ellen L. Bassuk, president of the National Center on Family Homelessness and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

According to the report, children experiencing homelessness have twice the rate of moderate-to-severe health conditions compared to middle-class children, and twice the incidence of emotional problems. Homeless children struggle in school, with an average of 16 percent lower proficiency in math and reading, and an estimated graduation rate below 25 percent overall.

It's possible to end child homelessness within a decade, the report says, using dedicated funds from local, state, and federal governments, combined with reallocated dollars.

Read more: http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/