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RALEIGH - It's a growing problem, amplified by the recent recession - children living in poverty. A new partnership between N.C. State University and the Salvation Army hopes to better address the mental health needs of homeless children.

"Families with young children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population currently," said N.C. State Psychology Professor Mary Haskett.

"They've got children with them that are tired, that are hungry, and may be upset, may be crying,” added the Salvation Army's Mary Ellen Anderson. “And you just see the exhaustion."

Experts say a homeless parent's first concern is shelter, like the Salvation Army's headquarters in downtown Raleigh. Between locating a place to sleep, food for the family, finding a job, and making sure their kids go to school, some needs can be overlooked.

"Conduct problems, attention problems, sometimes depression and anxiety,” said Haskett. “And those problems aren't caused by homelessness. They're caused by the experiences that individuals have that lead to the homelessness."

"They've got kids that don't know what they're going to be experiencing that night,” said Anderson. “That don't have a bed of their own, or a room of their own, or toys of their own sometimes."

About 300 kids in Wake County alone spend the night in homeless shelters. That does not include others who are on waiting lists, or others who are homeless but living with extended family.

Project CATCH, or Communities in Action Targeting Children who are Homeless, aims to focus on health issues that are crucial in early life.

"We know from decades of research now that young children's mental health establishes a lifetime course of mental health," said Haskett.

Organizers hope to develop a system to provide mental health services in eight homeless shelters across Wake County, and better train shelter staff to increase awareness of issues with kids.

Project CATCH may serve as a national model, to improve the lives of an under served population. The project is funded by the John Rex Endowment, and organizers hope to also better track data involving homeless families.