Official figures on homelessness tend to focus on adults and older teenagers. Invisible People, an NPO created to educate the public about homelessness, says school records can help provide a more accurate picture of a largely invisible problem. By combining sources, it estimates America is fast approaching 3 million children experiencing unstable housing.
Ensuring these children receive education is critical to breaking the cycle of homelessness. While federal legislation acknowledges and endorses this, the practical execution of these laws frequently falls short. Regrettably, many of these children will be deprived of an education.
Schooling Challenges Facing Unhoused Children
Education can be a challenge even for kids with stable housing. So, how much more challenging is it for those without homes? A study by the Department of Education identified the following top school attendance challenges facing children from unstable housing situations:
- Family occupied by basic survival needs (82%)—Children’s schooling is difficult to prioritize when caregivers must focus on basic needs such as food, shelter, and income.
- Lack of transportation (43%)—Homeless shelters and social housing facilities are not always conveniently situated near schools. Public transport, when available, is often too expensive for the family.
- Inability to complete homework due to lack of study area (42%)—If families are staying with friends or relatives, there is seldom enough room to sleep, let alone study. Shelters can be noisy and disruptive and may not have space for kids to work.
- Lack of clothing and supplies (30%)—In situations where children have been displaced secretly or in a rush (to hide from abusers, for example), they may not be able to pay for their school supplies or spare clothing. Many struggling families simply can’t afford the necessary items and suitable clothing. Also, kids may play truant if they feel like they don’t or can’t fit in.
- Poor health and medical care (29%)—Children without stable housing may be sick more often than average due to unsanitary living conditions, inadequate protection from the elements, and higher stress levels. They also lack access to timely, quality medical care and focused parental supervision. This can result in them missing school and being unable to catch up.
COVID Pandemic Drop-Off
The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the educational challenges experienced by children without stable housing, many of whom did not have access to online resources. In instances where shelters managed to create educational spaces, they frequently had mixed-grade classrooms, making it challenging for struggling students to receive the needed personalized support.
Working remotely from their students, teachers could not easily identify which children were experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, essential supports like food and transportation ceased to be accessible, discouraging families from undertaking challenging procedures to officially register a child as homeless. Consequently, federal statistics for students without stable housing declined by 21 percent from the 2018-19 school year to the 2021-21 school year. However, it’s crucial to understand that these children did not simply vanish or find permanent housing overnight. Locating and reintegrating them into the school system is of paramount importance.
The McKinney-Vento Act
The McKinney-Vento Act gives children experiencing unstable housing a legal right to education, either in the district where they are currently sheltered or their district of origin. It includes the right to transportation. The act tasks local educators with identifying and supporting “students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” This right holds even after a period of absence, regardless of the reasons for it (juvenile detention included).
Unfortunately, many families are unaware of McKinney-Vento or don’t know they qualify. And there can be multiple reasons they don’t wish to declare their status. Some fear the stigma or are concerned a declaration will involve further, unwanted scrutiny of their family circumstances. In other cases, the family’s presence may jeopardize the housing benefits of the individuals they are staying with. Often, the process can be too difficult, and the document requirements may be impractical, which contradicts the act’s provisions.
Educators also experience challenges in assessing the validity of a family’s housing status. In their experience, they have found that the act’s definition can be open to interpretation and sometimes misused. There have been instances where families permanently residing in one school district have allegedly utilized the act to enroll their children in more desirable districts. In some cases, schools have even hired private investigators to monitor families applying for enrollment.
Initially, these actions may come across as discriminatory, but when considering funding constraints, it becomes clear that the act’s good intentions are hindered by insufficient federal support. In the 2018-19 school year, funding averaged just $60.12 per homeless student nationally, with some states receiving far less. To comply, schools must allocate resources intended for other purposes to subsidize students experiencing homelessness. With budgets already under increasing pressure, it’s a big ask.