The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice recently released a report based on the results of the #RealCollege survey administered at nearly half of the schools in California’s Community College system in the fall of 2016 and 2018. Almost 40,000 students at 57 California Community Colleges participated. The results indicate that 50% of respondents were food insecure in the prior 30 days; 60% of respondents were housing insecure in the previous year; and 19% of respondents were homeless in the previous year. Read the full report here. "Sixty percent of survey respondents experienced housing insecurity in the previous year.... The most commonly reported challenges were experiencing a rent or mortgage increase (32%), not paying the full cost of utilities (28%), and not paying the full amount of their rent or mortgage (28%)." Education Leads Home (a collaborative effort by SchoolHouse Connection; Civic; the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness; and America’s Promise Alliance) released the first-ever state-level look at high school graduation rates for homeless students. The paper reports data from 26 states. To learn more and read the report, click here.
A report from How Housing Matters looks at the increase in unsheltered homelessness that many US cities experienced in 2018 and includes possible solutions to unsheltered homelessnes. To access the report, click here. "This spike in the number of unsheltered nonchronically homeless individuals may indicate that many were experiencing homelessness for the first time. Not coincidentally, these jurisdictions also have low vacancy rates and few available units for those at or below the extremely low–income threshold." - Aaron Shroyer Rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing are both key to ending homelessness but our current stock is no match for the 150,000 families that become homeless each year. Learn more here.
The latest edition of the California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being is an interactive tool that provides a comprehensive snapshot of how children are faring in each of the 58 counties, over time, and by race and ethnicity. The tool’s indicators cut across four domains of education, early childhood, child welfare, and health. Access the scorecard here.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness just released The State of Homelessness in America, which charts progress in ending homelessness in the United States. Using the most recently available national data, it is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers, journalists, advocates, and the public on trends in homelessness, homeless assistance, and at-risk populations at the national and state levels.
When 13 young adults who had experienced homelessness met at the U.S. Capitol for a briefing of congressional staffers, the message was simple. “Homeless people are still human beings…we deserve love, we deserve compassion, we deserve your help.” As part of the Education Leads Home campaign––a collaboration between SchoolHouse Connection, Civic Enterprises, the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness, and America’s Promise Alliance––the event brought together youth from across the country who have experienced homelessness, most of whom chose to remain anonymous. Read more here.
Almost 60,000 families with children (57,971) are homeless on any given night in the United States, according to the 2017 federal Point-in-Time count. Nationally, that means 7.4 out of every 10,000 families are homeless. But family homelessness is not experienced equally across all states. For more information, click here.
Children Now recently published the 2018 California Children’s Report Card , which grades the state on its ability to support better outcomes for kids, from birth to age 26, through early childhood to higher education systems. Access the full report card here. "Of California’s infants and toddlers, 62% are born into low-income households, yet only 14% of income-eligible infants and toddlers are enrolled in a publicly-supported child care program." School House Connection has updated its comprehensive fact sheet on early childhood homelessness to include the most recent statistics and research on young children who are homeless. Access the resource here. "Homeless children begin Head Start behind their low-income peers in cognitive, socio-emotional and physical development...The longer a young child experiences homelessness, the more that negative health outcomes are magnified, causing lifelong effects on the child, and in turn, the family and community." |