Our schools are brimming with children who have families on the brink of homelessness. Surprised to hear that? How about this: In Santa Clara County more than 3,000 students attending local schools were homeless by the standards of the U.S. Office of Education.
The question is, what are we going to do about it? Yes “we.”
A strong workforce is reliant on a strong educational system. Students need a stable home environment to support their academic progress. If students and their families are homeless, the school system and future workforce talent stream begins to unravel.
According to a recent report from the National Center for Homeless Education (http://center.serve.org/nche/ibt/aw_statistics.php) , more than 1 million school age children and youth in the U.S. experienced homelessness during the 2011-2012 school year, California had more than 20% of the nation’s homeless students with nearly 250,000 experiencing homelessness during the year.
The Office of Education’s definition of homelessness (http://www.sccoe.org/_layouts/OssSearchResults.aspx?k=homeless%20students) is broader than that used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless) . Education’s definition includes children defined as homeless by HUD: children who are unsheltered, living in emergency shelters, or living in transitional housing programs. In addition, the Office of Education includes children living in doubled-up arrangements due to economic challenges, and children who are living in motels with their parents.
A sad consequence of homelessness for our children is lower performance in the classroom. According to the report, the majority of homeless children fail to meet the proficiency standards in science, mathematics and reading.
To maintain a viable and strong future workforce, we cannot turn a blind eye to the high number of students suffering the effects of being homeless. Often homeless children identify school as the one stable place in their lives. They may not have a home, but they have a school to go to with friends.
More can be done in the schools to identify children and families teetering on the brink of homelessness. Providing preventive support before a child or family becomes homeless is more productive and cost effective than waiting until a family is on the street.
The Bill Wilson Center (http://www.billwilsoncenter.org/) has developed a simple program on school campuses that reaches out to families at risk of losing their homes. School personnel and students contact our school-based case manager to refer families and students in trouble. We assess the situation and do whatever it takes to help the family –from emergency rental assistance, help with finding a job, or connecting a family member with legal advice –we resolve the immediate crisis and stabilize the home. We continue to support the family to prevent future problems, and we help the children stay on track for reaching their educational goals.
As I said, our schools are brimming with children who have families on the brink of homelessness. Let’s work with the schools to stabilize these families and reap the benefits of having students ready and able to learn. What will you do about it?
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