According to a recent New York Post article, "The number of homeless children in the United States is at its highest in more than a decade." These findings are from a study by the National Center for Homeless Education, which is contracted by the U.S. Department of Education to provide information on children’s education and homelessness. To read the full article, click here. "The number of homeless students nationwide increased by a 15 percent margin from the 2015-16 and 2017-18 school years." - Danielle Wallace As reported by SchoolHouse Connection, Federal education data released today by the National Center for Homeless Education (the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance center) show that public schools identified 1.5 million children and youth experiencing homelessness in the 2017-2018 school year – an 11% increase over the previous school year and the highest number ever recorded nationally.
Access the National Center for Homeless Education report here. Access a SchoolHouse Connection commentary here. SchoolHouse Connection has released a nine-part series analyzing demographic and risk factor data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS in 17 states), comparing high school students experiencing homelessness and high school students not experiencing homelessness. YRBS homelessness data include high school students who experience homelessness as part of families, as well as students who are homeless by themselves. Access the full report here. "Our final brief on rape and sexual assault shows that nearly one in four high school students experiencing homelessness reported being forced to have sexual intercourse. We provide practical tips for how schools can help prevent rape and sexual assault of students, as well as support survivors." The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was first developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1990 to assess the health risk behaviors of youth and adults in the United States. For the first time since the survey has been widely administered, the 2017 YRBS optional question list included two questions pertaining to homelessness. SchoolHouse Connection analyzed demographic and risk factor data from the YRBS in 17 states, comparing high school students experiencing homelessness and those not experiencing homelessness. Read the results and analysis here.
The 30th edition of the KIDS COUNT® Data Book – a data study that is based on U.S. Census and other publicly available data, represents all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and is the most comprehensive annual report on child well-being – was recently released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Access the full data book here.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) recently released "Out of Reach 2019," which documents the disparity between wages and rents across the country and demonstrates why decent housing is out of reach for minimum wage workers. Click here to read the full report.
SchoolHouse Connection’s analysis of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data from 17 states found that young people experience homelessness at an even higher rate than currently reported by the U.S. Department of Education. As many as one million students experiencing homelessness are not receiving services they need and to which they are entitled under the federal McKinney-Vento Act. Read the brief here.
Thank you to everyone who attended, supported, and donated to our 2019 East Bay Brew and BBQ fundraiser. Together, we raised over $65,000 to support our educational programs with homeless and highly mobile children in the Bay Area. Thank you to our event sponsorsThank you to our beer sponsorsThank you to our wine donorThank you to Fentons ice creamThank you One, Two, Smile! Photo Booth!New this year - attendees enjoyed a photo booth at the fundraiser thanks to One, Two, Smile! Photo Booth. Attendees had so much fun at the photo booth and Christian at One, Two, Smile! was great to work with. Christian made a custom template for the printouts, making a nicely branded souvenir for attendees!
As reported by the National Alliance to End Homelessness "The most recent Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress reveals that nearly half (48%) of all homeless individuals are unsheltered—living in their cars, on the streets, or in some other place not meant for human habitation." The Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) is a HUD report to the U.S. Congress that provides nationwide estimates of homelessness, including information about the demographic characteristics of homeless persons, service use patterns, and the capacity to house homeless persons. The report is based on Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) data about persons who experience homelessness during a 12-month period, point-in-time counts of people experiencing homelessness on one day in January, and data about the inventory of shelter and housing available in a community. Access the full report here: Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.
The Bay Area Council Economic Institute recently released "Bay Area Homelessness: A Regional View of a Regional Crisis." The report includes homelessness data from across the Bay Area, as well as causes of and recommended responses to the homelessness crisis in the region. Access the full report here. "By virtually every measure, the Bay Area’s homeless crisis ranks among the worst in the United States. The Bay Area has the third largest population of people experiencing homelessness (28,200) in the U.S., behind only New York City (76,500) and Los Angeles (55,200), according to Point-in-Time counts. The Bay Areaalso shelters a smaller proportion of its homeless (33 percent) than any metropolitan area in the U.S. besides Los Angeles (25 percent), making the crisis highly visible across the region." |