As California's housing costs continue to soar, more and more children like Alison are suffering the severest of consequences: No place to call home. Since 2014, the number of homeless children in California has jumped 20 percent. In the most recently released data, 202,329 young people are living in cars, motels, shelters, on the street or in crowded homes shared with other families.
That's just over 3 percent of the enrolled K-12 students, more than twice the national rate, but the actual numbers are almost certainly higher. Schools rely on parents to report their housing status, but shame, fear of deportation or the government taking away their children discourage many parents from truthfully answering the housing questionnaire typically given to all families at the beginning of the school year.
By law, schools are required to identify and help homeless students, using state and federal funds to provide school supplies, extra tutoring, transportation to school or whatever else students need to succeed. But an EdSource analysis shows that more than a quarter of California schools report no homeless students at all and provide no services - despite the fact that homeless students live in nearly every community of California, experts say.
To read more of Carolyn Jones and Daniel J. Willis' article, please click here.
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