<p>The recession has claimed many casualties over the last few years and recent data on some of the most vulnerable is truly shocking.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to a <a href="http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/media.php" target="_blank">new study</a>, more than 1.6 million children, or 1 in 45 children in the U.S., are living on the streets, in homeless shelters or motels, or with other families.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>?There are more homeless children today than after the natural disasters of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which caused historic levels of homelessness in 2006. The recession?s economic devastation has left 1 in 45 children homeless in a year ? an increase of 38 percent from 2007 to 2010,? said Ellen Bassuk, president and founder of the <a href="http://www.familyhomelessness.org/" target="_blank">National Center on Family Homelessness</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>States with large Black populations such as Alabama and Mississippi were at the bottom of the report, which did not include a racial or ethnic breakdown. However, a 2010 Child Trends Data Bank report <a href="http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/?q=node/340" target="_blank">determined</a> that approximately 47 percent of children in homeless families are Black, and that African-American children are disproportionately represented among homeless families.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A possible explanation for the large numbers in the Child Trends study is likely the economic downturn. African-Americans have been more harshly affected by <a href="http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/12/02/november-jobs-report-offers-mixed-results.html" target="_blank">unemployment</a> and are <a href="http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/11/18/blacks-losing-homes-at-twice-the-rate-of-whites.html" target="_blank">losing</a> their homes at twice the rate of whites.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Homeless children experience a variety of hardships, including hunger, poor health and limited academic proficiency. To combat the negative effects, the <a href="http://www.familyhomelessness.org/" target="_blank">National Center on Family Homelessness</a> says there shouldn?t be further cuts in federal and state programs that help homeless children and families.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>?Deeper cuts will only create more homelessness that will cost us more to fix in the long run,? says Bassuk.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The study, released Tuesday, looks at trends in child homeless from 2006 to 2010 using data and research on child homelessness, child well-being, risk for homelessness and state policy and planning efforts.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The bottom ranked states are as follows:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>41. Georgia</p> <p>42. Florida</p> <p>43. Nevada</p> <p>44. Louisiana</p> <p>45. New Mexico</p> <p>46. California</p> <p>47. Arizona</p> <p>48. Arkansas</p> <p>49. Mississippi</p> <p>50. Alabama</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><i>BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world.</i></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><i>(Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)</i></p>