Childhood Trauma and Adult Homelessness: The ACEs Connection

What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework emerged from a landmark study by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente in the 1990s. Researchers asked over 17,000 adults about childhood experiences in three categories:

Abuse

• • Physical abuse
• • Emotional abuse
• • Sexual abuse

Neglect

• • Physical neglect
• • Emotional neglect

Household Dysfunction

• • Parental mental illness
• • Parental substance abuse
• • Domestic violence
• • Parental incarceration
• • Parental separation or divorce

Each category counts as one ACE. Higher ACE scores correlate with worse outcomes across virtually every measure of adult health and functioning.

The study found ACEs are remarkably common. About two-thirds of adults report at least one ACE. One in eight report four or more. And the effects compound: someone with four ACEs faces dramatically higher risks than someone with one.

The Connection to Homelessness

Multiple studies have examined ACEs among homeless populations. The findings are consistent and striking:

• • Homeless adults report significantly higher ACE scores than the general population
• • 70-90% of homeless adults report at least one ACE
• • Average ACE scores for homeless individuals are 2-3 times higher than general population
• • People with 4+ ACEs are significantly more likely to experience homelessness
• • Chronically homeless individuals report the highest ACE scores

This is not coincidence. Childhood trauma creates vulnerabilities that compound over time, making homelessness more likely through multiple pathways.

How Childhood Trauma Leads to Homelessness

Brain Development

Trauma during critical developmental periods literally shapes the brain:

• • Chronic stress hormones damage developing neural pathways
• • The amygdala (fear center) becomes hyperactive
• • The prefrontal cortex (decision-making) is underdeveloped
• • Emotional regulation systems are impaired
• • The stress response system becomes dysregulated

These changes make it harder to manage emotions, make good decisions, delay gratification, and handle stress—all skills essential for maintaining employment and housing.

Attachment and Relationships

Early trauma disrupts the ability to form healthy relationships:

• • Difficulty trusting others
• • Fear of intimacy and vulnerability
• • Pattern of unstable relationships
• • Attraction to abusive or chaotic partners
• • Social isolation

Relationships are the safety net that catches people before they fall into homelessness. Without healthy relationships, there is no one to stay with during a crisis, no one to co-sign a lease, no support system.

Mental Health

ACEs dramatically increase risk of mental illness:

• • 4+ ACEs: 4.6x higher risk of depression
• • 4+ ACEs: 12x higher risk of suicide attempt
• • Elevated rates of PTSD, anxiety, personality disorders
• • Difficulty with emotional regulation

Mental illness makes maintaining employment and housing difficult. Without treatment, the cycle continues.

Substance Use

Trauma and addiction are deeply connected:

• • 4+ ACEs: 7x higher risk of alcoholism
• • 4+ ACEs: 10x higher risk of injection drug use
• • Substances provide temporary relief from emotional pain
• • Self-medication becomes addiction

Education and Employment

Childhood trauma disrupts educational attainment:

• • Difficulty concentrating due to hypervigilance
• • Behavioral problems leading to suspension and expulsion
• • Frequent moves and school changes
• • Lower graduation rates
• • Limited job opportunities without education

Normalization of Chaos

Perhaps most insidiously, growing up in chaos makes chaos feel normal:

• • Housing instability feels familiar
• • Crisis mode becomes default
• • Planning for the future seems pointless
• • Self-sabotage when things stabilize

Someone who grew up moving constantly, never knowing where they would sleep, may unconsciously recreate that instability as an adult.

Foster Care: A Special Risk Factor

Youth aging out of foster care face extraordinary homelessness risk:

• • 20-25% of foster youth become homeless within 4 years of aging out
• • Over 50% experience homelessness by age 26
• • Average 7+ placement changes during foster care
• • Often have no family support at age 18
• • High rates of trauma before and during foster care

These young people enter adulthood with all the vulnerabilities of childhood trauma plus no safety net. Most 18-year-olds can return home if they struggle. Foster youth cannot.

Men and Childhood Trauma

Boys and men face particular challenges around childhood trauma:

• • Disclosure stigma: Boys are less likely to report abuse, especially sexual abuse
• • Minimization: Male victimization is often dismissed or normalized
• • Externalization: Boys more often express trauma through aggression rather than depression
• • Treatment barriers: Men are less likely to seek mental health help
• • Fewer services: Most trauma programs designed for women and children

The result is that many men carry unprocessed childhood trauma for decades, with the wounds emerging through addiction, relationship failure, and eventually homelessness.

Breaking the Cycle

Understanding the ACEs connection points toward effective intervention:

For Prevention

• • Supporting at-risk families before removal becomes necessary
• • Trauma-informed schools that recognize ACE behaviors
• • Extended support for foster youth beyond age 18
• • Early intervention for childhood mental health
• • Building resilience factors that buffer against ACE effects

For Intervention

• • Trauma-informed care throughout homeless services
• • Evidence-based trauma treatment (CPT, EMDR, PE)
• • Addressing root causes, not just symptoms
• • Long-term programs that allow time for healing
• • Building healthy relationships and community

Our Approach at The Steady Ground

We recognize that most men we serve carry childhood trauma. Our program is designed accordingly:

• • Comprehensive assessment through the Stronghold Assessment explores childhood history
• • Trauma-informed approach throughout all interactions
• • Evidence-based trauma treatment from trained clinicians
• • Safe, stable environment that models healthy relationships
• • Brotherhood and community that provides belonging
• • Long-term program that allows deep wounds to heal
• • Skills building that addresses developmental gaps

We cannot change what happened in childhood. But we can help men process it, heal from it, and build the skills and relationships they were never taught.