Educating the Homeless Youth

Educating the Homeless Youth

Image Source: Unsplash by Aaron Burden

The Facts

According to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 233,832 are people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the United States. Of the 233,832, 50,767 are families with children and 30,090 are unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. National Center for Homeless Education stated that, "During the 2014-2015 school year, U.S. public schools enrolled 95,032 unaccompanied students experiencing homelessness." Between 2000-2022, Oregon had one of the largest increases of homeless in the United States. Over these years homelessness has risen by 23%, increasing by 3,304 people. Currently, Oregon is ranked fourth in the nation for the highest raise in people who are homeless. One of the most astonishing statistics is the amount of families experiences homelessness in Oregon. Nearly 2,000 people, or 59%, of the people on the streets reported having families. Of the total population of homeless in Oregon, 1,000 are youth. (oregonlive.com) Specifically, in Portland, Multnomah County has experienced a 20% rise in homelessness in 2023, the total amount of people homeless in Portland is currently 6,297. (willametteweek.com)

Image Source: Pixabay

The Problem

Homeless youth are at higher risk of being ill educated due to having nowhere to live. Many youth have experienced or are experiencing situations with domestic violence, have mental health needs, lack resources, have issues with transportation and of course lack permanent housing. Basic need such as electricity, clothing, food, transportation and a stable home environment make it hard from homeless youth to attend and complete school. The top two barriers reported for educating homeless youth are transportation and slot availability (nche.ed.gov) According to National Center for Homeless Education, Homeless youth consistently report family dysfunction for their reason to being homeless. "Family dysfunction may include issues related to blended families, substance abuse, pregnancy, sexual activity, and/or sexual orientation. In addition, parental neglect and abuse (emotional, physical, sexual, and/or substance), incarceration, illness, deportation, or death can lead to youth experiencing homelessness on their own."(nche.ed.go) Specifically in regards to education, many homeless students don't have access to past school records, school supplies, have employment which prevents them from attending school, have irregular school attendance, experience difficulty accumulating credits due to moving schools and are scared of being reported by school officials to child welfare. (nche.ed.go) Sadly, homeless children are one of the most vulnerable in the homeless population and face many barriers to gaining an education.

Image Source: Pixabay

McKinney-Vento Act

The Mckinney-Vento Act supports students experiencing homelessness, guaranteeing them educational rights. The Mckinney-Vento Act defines homelessness as "the terms homeless and youth means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." (nche.ed.gov) In addition, it defines unaccompanied youth as, "a homeless child or youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian." (nche.ed.gov) Homeless students have rights under the Mckinney-Vento act. These rights include, access to free education, immediate school enrollment regardless of documentation required, enrollment in school while documentation is being located, access to transportation to and from school and the ability to continue to attend school of origin regardless of where they reside. In addition, students will receive assistant from the homeless education liaison in order to receive transportation, select schools and ensure prompt and fair resolutions of any disputes under the Mckinney-Vento act. (nche.ed.gov)

Early Education & Homeless Youth

Early Childhood is when "children develop the cognitive and social-emotional skills needed to successfully navigate challenges they will encounter the rest of their lives." (nche.ed.gov) Homelessness can have a negative impact on early childhood education and often prevent them from attending school at young age. This lays the foundation for a myriad of problems in the behavioral health arena and is linked to emotional delays, negativity impacting brain development. It is important that we educate our homeless youth early on as a form of prevention. Early childhood education can "mediate the adverse influence of homelessness, reducing the achievement gap, and positioning children to be ready to enter school, learn, and succeed." (nche.ed.gov) The best way to combat this issue is to get children into school as early as possible. Under the Mckinney-Vento act children have the right to immediate enrollment into early care and preschool programs. In addition, some states prioritize the enrollment of prekindergarten homeless students.

Image Source: Pixabay

Supporting School Age Homeless Students

For students experience homelessness being in school can look a little different. For instance, there may be no home to do homework. Report cards may reflect a shorter period of time and grading may be skewed due to lack of previous records and moving around. Teachers may implement typical strategies to behavioral problems, but may only exacerbate those of a homeless student. Luckily, there are ways to help. Upon entering the classroom, teachers should do an assessment on their houseless students to identify their "readiness-to-learn" skills. These include but are not limited to: listening, following directions and asking for help. (https://www.wested.org) Due to spotty attendance, teachers should focus curriculum on shorter periods of time, such as daily or weekly units. In addition, they should provide students with records in case they need to abruptly change school sites. Educators should provide special accommodations for homework. This could include supplies such as a book light, clipboard and pencil. It also means allowing extra time, avoiding assignments requiring adult involvement and the use of technology. While educators cannot prevent students from having access to housing they can do everything in their power to provide access to school.

Image Source: Oregon.gov

Access to Higher Education

Homeless youth are the highest at risk to being homeless as adults. One of the best ways to prevent this is education, specifically higher education. Many students leaving high school want to enter into higher education but don't apply themselves due to perceived barriers. Under the Mckinney-Vento act local liaisons should work with school counselors to provide support to aging out students. Support available to students include: fee waivers for AP and SAT/ACT exams, help to prepare for college and improve college readiness, verification for independent status for FASFA applications and access merit-based scholarships. Specifically in the Portland area, New Avenues provides GED education support so that students may enroll in college if they didn't graduate from high school (link below). They also offer scholarships to homeless youth served by New Avenues that are attending career technical education or post-secondary education.

Conclusion

Laying the foundation for homeless education can be a long and winding rode. However, while it may be difficult it is of the upmost importance for prevention of further adult homelessness and to the success of every homeless child. It starts with early childhood development and is maintained with special school support and accommodations throughout school age years. Homeless students are protected by the Mckinney-Vento Act and have many resources to help them succeed. It is important that we stay vigilant in the pursuit to educate our youth. Remember, the you is our future! Below is a list of resources specific to the Portland area.

Written by Ashe Barrera

She is part of the UX/UI team for the PSU Multimedia Capstone

Portland Youth Resources

Janis Youth