Shaping an Equitable Recovery for Students Without Homes

Barbara Duffield is executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, an advocacy organization that seeks to overcome homelessness through education. PHOTO COURTESY BARBARA DUFFIELD

School leaders are confronting monumental challenges in COVID-19 recovery this fall, while they also address the systemic inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Given the magnitude and scope of concerns, it would be easy to overlook a profoundly destabilizing experience faced by growing numbers of students: homelessness. Yet homelessness is a crisis that underlies many others in education — from attendance to mental health. In the words of Jahnee, a high school student in Florida, “I began to struggle significantly with depression, and I often felt unloved and unworthy. … My deteriorating mental health made me question everything about high school and if I would ever be able to walk across that stage. I was part of the 87 percent of teens who experience homelessness and drop out of high school.”

The fundamental connection between homelessness, racial and ethnic inequity, and educational outcomes means that neither pandemic recovery nor educational equity can be achieved without specific, intentional action by school leaders to address student homelessness.

Deepening Divides

While the word “homeless” may conjure images of single adults on the streets of big cities, there are also millions of children and older youth experiencing homelessness who are less visible, in rural, suburban and urban areas. They move frequently, staying with other people temporarily because they have nowhere else to go or living in motels, cars, campgrounds and shelters.

Prior to the pandemic, public schools identified a record 1.4 million children experiencing homelessness in the 2018-19 school year — roughly the total population of Dallas. Family and youth homelessness is expected to continue to skyrocket, especially with shortcomings in eviction moratoria, limited rent relief and an increase in family stressors related to the pandemic.

Homelessness is a traumatic experience. It also is caused by traumatic experiences and leads to more traumatic experiences, including violence, neglect, deprivation and trafficking. According to Centers for Disease Control data, high school students experiencing homelessness are much more likely to be bullied, attempt suicide and face dating violence than their housed peers. The isolation, disconnection and experiences of the pandemic heightens these concerns.

Health concerns are also heightened for families and youth experiencing homelessness, who are often forced to live in crowded conditions. That places them at high risk of contracting COVID-19, and they may lack access to available vaccines.

Adolescents who experience homelessness on their own — unaccompanied youth — may not have a parent or guardian to consent to their vaccination.

Even if youth live in a state that permits minors to consent to their own medical treatment, youth and providers may not be aware of these permissions. School strategies to mitigate COVID-19 — including cohorting and testing policies — may inadvertently create new barriers for students experiencing homelessness.

Finally, students of color, students with disabilities and English learners are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness, which means that school efforts to address homelessness must be a core component of educational equity initiatives.

Strategic Responses

From drops in enrollment to learning loss to mental health, the educational problems and deepening disparities from the pandemic are inextricably linked to homelessness. Fortunately, there are proven strategies and unprecedented resources to address these complex challenges.

At the forefront is the McKinney-Vento Act — a federal law that requires the designation of liaisons in every school district and provides protections for enrollment and school stability. The McKinney-Vento Act continues to be the blueprint for responding to homelessness. In addition, Title I Part A requires school districts to reserve funds for students experiencing homelessness.

Significantly, the American Rescue Plan Act dedicated $800 million to the identification, enrollment and school success of children and youth experiencing homelessness, supplementing the $122 billion for K-12 education, which also specifically requires funds to be used for students experiencing homelessness.

School leaders can effectively, equitably and strategically respond, using new resources, as illustrated below.

»Responding to drops in enrollment.

Millions of children and youth have gone “missing” from school during the pandemic, contributing to educational deficits and social-emotional challenges.

A national survey of school district homeless liaisons by SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan conservatively estimates that at least 420,000 homeless students, from preschool through high school, were not enrolled at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. Without in-person instruction, the eyes and ears of the school system — teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, coaches and staff — were not interacting with students and could not notice whether a student was homeless.

District Solutions: To increase identification and enrollment of students experiencing homelessness, school districts are increasing awareness through PSAs, posters and community partnerships. They are also training school staff, augmenting staff hours dedicated to McKinney-Vento liaisons and/or hiring additional staff specifically tasked with finding and re-engaging students.

Additionally, Oregon’s Corvalis School District is expanding family advocate positions at each school site. These staff will identify and support McKinney-Vento students, in collaboration with the district liaison.

Richmond, Va., Public Schools have intensified efforts to identify and assist families facing and during the eviction process, including working with local legal aid to compare lists of households facing eviction with school records to determine which families have children enrolled in Richmond schools.

»Implementing ideas to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Similarly, homelessness contributes to chronic absenteeism. Students experiencing homelessness struggle to attend school regularly due to high mobility, lack of transportation, the need to work to support themselves and/or their family, child care responsibilities for siblings and other challenges.

District Solutions: To increase regular attendance, school districts are investing in flexible transportation options and improving communication with families and youth. The North East Independent School District in San Antonio is exploring the use of Uber cars for transportation as a more reliable and timely option than public transportation buses, while other school districts are creating transportation hubs and purchasing vans. Kansas City, Mo., Public Schools purchased phones with one- and two-year contracts for McKinney-Vento high school seniors to improve communication and resolve attendance issues.

»Addressing gaps in learning.

Homelessness has a negative impact on achievement and graduation that’s beyond the impact of poverty. In 2018-19, the national average graduation rate for homeless students was 12 percent below other low-income students, and students experiencing homelessness also scored significantly lower than economically disadvantaged students on statewide assessments. These gaps are likely to be exacerbated by the gaps in learning and increased trauma during the pandemic.

District Solutions: During COVID-19, Roanoke, Va., and Clark County, Wash., schools prioritized helping students who were homeless in order to mitigate the pandemic’s negative impact on achievement and graduation.

To accelerate learning, school districts are offering teachers extra paid hours to provide individual academic support to McKinney-Vento students, ensuring access to existing after-school programs and providing devices and Wi-Fi to help students access virtual options.

Roanoke, Va., City Schools will rent additional space in a centrally located church for tutoring and helping youth with FAFSA completion, while school districts in Clark County, Wash., are partnering with a local homeless family service provider to access a learning center where parents, teachers, students and school counselors work together to create individualized educational plans to support academic achievement.

»Improving access to shelter, housing, food and health care.

Students who are worried about where they will sleep and who lack access to basic needs such as food and health care face monumental challenges outside of school that disrupt learning. Unfortunately, despite the threat of massive homelessness as eviction moratoria end, billions of dollars of rent relief remain unspent due to bureaucratic and other barriers.

District Solutions: To help families and youth access assistance, school systems are hiring “systems navigators” to walk families through housing and benefits application processes; partnering with public housing authorities, private foundations and faith-based organizations; and providing store cards/prepaid debit cards to help students and families meet basic needs.

In Toledo, the city funneled rental assistance through the school system to prevent families from becoming homeless or remaining homeless. At the Educational Service Center in Monroe, Ohio, the McKinney-Vento liaison attends meetings of real estate agents to identify potential units for families in need.

Crisis Recovery

With the converging crises of pandemic recovery and systemic injustice, there never has been a more important time for education leaders to expand opportunity and equity. Schools can provide a stable foundation for children and youth experiencing homelessness — the closest thing to a home — as well as the support necessary to achieve academically. We cannot achieve true recovery unless every student is lifted out of this crisis, and that means centering homelessness in school district efforts.

BARBARA DUFFIELD is executive director of SchoolHouse Connection in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @SchoolHouseConn

Additional Resources

Barbara Duffield of SchoolHouse Connection, a national nonprofit working to overcome homelessness through education, suggests these informational resources.

»How to support children, youth and families experiencing homelessness with ARP funds.

»How to apply ARP funds to identify and support students.

»What the U.S. Department of Education recommends on using ARP funds for children experiencing homelessness.

»How to center anti-racist approaches under the McKinney-Vento Act.