The Rise of Homeless Students

The presence of homeless students are rising at an alarming rate. In the past decade, that number has nearly doubled, and sixteen states have seen at least a 10 percent increase in the last three years. Even though federal homeless education funding has increased substantially, there hasn't been a significant increase in the use of them. Why is this happening? There doesn't seem to be just one clear cause to all of this, but instead, it's actually multiple factors that most students just can't seem to control. 

A lot of this can be blamed on outside factors. We have an economy where inflation is occurring, housing costs are rising, and costs for food and other basic needs are increasing. The average student needs to be working and make sacrifices if they want to get through school and its increasing tuition costs. It's nearly impossible to live by yourself, and a majority of students that experience homelessness were sharing a house with other people. Many students may also not have the support or a safety net to fall back onto. They may have been displaced due to disasters or economic hardship, or they cut ties with their parents because of drug abuse, or they may just not qualify for financial support. These students are put at a disadvantage and are offered no support.

A majority of homeless students are academically struggling. As of 2017-2018, only 29 percent of homeless students are proficient in reading and language arts, while a fourth of homeless students are proficient in math and science. These students are not easily able to focus on academics while being stressed and traumatized about their living situations.

Think about the reasons our country has this problem. Can this be easily solved or are we building something that can't be stopped? This isn't an issue isolated with college students, but can be found all throughout grade school as well. I encourage you to read more about this topic to get a better understanding of it and to find ways to help.

Here is statistical information on homeless students

Here are resources provided by the National Center for Homeless Education

Sources: 

https://www.edweek.org/technology/number-of-homeless-students-hits-all-time-high/2020/02 https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-02-18-it-s-time-to-take-college-student-hunger-and-homelessness-seriously

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/theyre-invisible-number-homeless-students-reaches-new-high