Youth homelessness remains a prominent national challenge for state officials and policymakers, although most pronounced in California, largely due to the ongoing housing crisis. Long Beach Unified and Monterey County in particular have significant numbers of students experiencing homelessness. Recognizing that homelessness is a condition that is intersectional with the educational experiences and outcomes of youth, this brief highlights state and school officials’ perspectives to examine relevant challenges, policies, and practices related to the youth homelessness crisis. In addition to identifying pertinent challenges, participants provided insights into established and emerging practices and approaches that have been effective in meeting the needs of homeless youth. The brief concludes with recommendations for state officials, local officials, and school staff to inform better supports of youth impacted by homelessness. Learn more on the CTS website.
This policy brief builds upon our 2020 analysis of student homelessness statewide to examine district-level data for 10 districts across the state. In 2021, California made historic investments to help students and schools recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, adversely impacting schools and students experiencing homelessness, limiting the scope and application of student data, and creating new challenges for teaching and learning. While the future after this pandemic is unclear, we must continue to support students experiencing homelessness and address the long-standing inequities that this vulnerable student group faces. Learn more on the CTS website.
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.
