Center for the Transformation of Schools

We interviewed 150 stakeholders from across the state to develop a clear picture of the underlying challenges facing students experiencing homelessness, and patterns and geographic needs across the state. COVID-19 has accelerated preexisting inequities present for students and families profoundly impacted by poverty and inequality in California. This includes over 4 million students in the Golden State who are economically disadvantaged, over 269,000 young people in K-12 systems experiencing homelessness, 1 in 5 community college students, 1 in 10 California State University (CSU) students, and 1 in 20 University of California (UC) students. The number of students experiencing homelessness in California K-12 settings has increased by over 48 percent in the past decade. Students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity tend to be disproportionately Latinx and Black with poor academic outcomes compared to their peers. The goal of this report is to explore the types of education and social supports that students experiencing homelessness need to succeed academically. Our analysis is based on the perspectives of students, educators, homeless liaisons, community-based organizations, school districts, county offices of education, early childhood agencies and higher education institutions. Given the complexity and scale of the challenges that students experiencing homelessness face in California, greater capacity and dedicated funding is needed to identify students experiencing homelessness to ensure they receive necessary educational supports. An aggressive response to the issues experienced by students experiencing homelessness should include policy actions at the local, state and federal level to address the student homelessness crisis. We hope that by drawing attention to the perspectives of educators, homeless liaisons and by elevating the perspectives of students who experience homelessness, this report can serve as a catalyst for sustained and strategic action to ameliorate this growing problem. Learn more on the CTS website.