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From Carolyn JonesCalmness
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This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.
In Kern County, the first rule for counting homeless students does not say “homeless”.
Instead, school staff uses phrases such as “fighting a stable home” or “transition families”. The approach seems to have worked: more families share their housing status with their children’s schools, which means that more students receive services.
“There is a lot of stigma attached to the word” homeless, “says Kurt Williams, director of homeless and foster youth services for the Kern County County Office. “When you remove this word, everything changes.”
To a large extent, as a result of better identification methods, Kern County saw that the population of homeless students was jumping 10% last year, up to 7,200. These students received transport to and from school, free school aids, teaching and other services designed to help them stay in school. For the purposes of this data, the definition of homelessness is wider than the point of the state in the number of timeS
The trend is reflected throughout the country. In the latest record in the country, published last month, California had 230 443 homeless students – an increase of 9.3% compared to the previous year. Part of the increase is due to the continued shortage of the state’s dwellings, but the greater part of the increase is due to the better identification, said defenders and school staff.
Homeless students are confronted with numerous obstacles at school. They have a higher rate of discipline and absences and deal with a worse academic. Last year only 16% of homeless students met Mathematical Standard of the StateSome of the lowest results of each student group.
“Schools cannot resolve homelessness, but they can guarantee that students are safe in the classroom and receive the education they need to get out of homelessness,” says Barbara Duffie, CEO of Schoolhouse Connection, a national intercession group. “This begins with the identification of the child who is homeless.”
Challenges to count homeless students
According to the McKinney-Vento Federal Law, schools are required to count their homeless students throughout the school year and to ensure that they receive services. Homeless students also have the right to remain enrolled in their original school, even if they move.
For many years, schools have struggled to identify homeless students. According to state legislation, schools must Distribute shapes At the beginning of the school year, asking the families where they live-in their own homes, in motels, doubled with other families, in shelters, cars or outdoors.
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Some schools were less than different in terms of gathering form or soothing families understood the importance. Often, homeless families are reluctant to present the form as they fear that the school may contact a children's well -being. Immigrant families are sometimes afraid that school can notify immigration authorities. And some families did not realize that sharing premises with another family, until now, the most common life situation among the families of homeless-technically defined as homeless, at least under McKini-Pento.
A 2021 Bill Former Member of the Assembly Luz Rivas, Democrat from Arleta in the San Fernando Valley, seeks to remedy this problem. The bill requires schools to train all who work with students - from bus drivers to cafes workers to teachers - how to recognize potential signs of homelessness. This may include families who move often or do not meet school correspondence.
The bill seems to have helped. Last year, the state identified 21,000 more homeless students than the previous year, even when overall enrollment dropped.
Still, this is probably a shortage, researchers said. The actual homeless student population is probably between 5% and 10% of those students who are ranked free or lunch with a reduced price, according to the National Center for Education for Homeless. In California, this would be a shortage of up to 138 713 students.
Funding
Another impetus for identifying homeless students came from the American rescue plan, the federal package for Covid-19 relief. The plan included $ 800 million for schools to hire advisers or train existing staff to help homeless students. Almost all schools in California received some money.
About 120 districts in California have won grants through the McKini-Fonto Act, which last year scattered about $ 15.9 million in California to pay for things like rods at school, backpacks, staff and other services. The areas are selected on a competitive basis; Not all areas applied to receive funds.
But these sources of funding dry. Most of the pandemic money for relief has already been spent and President Donald Trump's recently approved budget does not include McKinney-Vento funding for 2026-27.
The abbreviations come at a time when the defenders expect a sharp increase in the number of homeless families over the next few years, which is partly due to changes in national policy. Proposals for a republican budget include abbreviations of Medicaid, nutritional assistance and other programs aimed at supporting low -income families, while the repression of immigration has left thousands of families who are afraid to seek help. For families living on strict budgets, these abbreviations can lead to housing loss.
And in California, the shortage of homes at affordable prices continues to be an obstacle for low -income families. Even the Kern County, which is traditionally less expensive for families, has seen a housing As more residents move there from Los Angeles.
Joseph Bishop, Professor of Education at UCLA and co -author of Recent report For homeless students across the country, he said the loss of state funding would be detrimental to homeless students.
"California is the epicenter of the student student crisis and we need purposeful, dedicated support," Bishop said. "People need to be extremely alarmed right now. Will they receive those children they need and deserve?"
Better food, cleaner baths
In Kern County, the identification was only one of the efforts to help homeless students thrive in school. Schools are also trying to pair them with teachers and mentors, give them school aids and a washing machine, and invite them to join a program called "Student Voice Ambassadors". There, students can go around local colleges, learn leadership skills and explore career opportunities.
As part of the program, employees ask the students what a school would make more enticing - and then make sure the proposals are happening. In one school, the students said they would go to an hour if the bathrooms were cleaner. Thus, the staff improved the bathrooms. In another school, the students wanted better food. They understood it.
Williams credits the program to reduce absences among homeless students. Two years ago, 45% of the homeless students of Kern County chronically were absent. Last year, its number dropped to 39% - still too high, he said, but a significant improvement.
"Without the McKinney-Vento funds, the student's voice ambassador program would disappear," Williams said. "How will we go on? I don't know."
This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.