Behind the Numbers

The phrase 'homeless high school student' can be confusing. What does it actually mean?

*Nationally, there were 1.26 million homeless public school students during the 2013-2014 school year. Nearly 317,000 were in high school. Public schools are required under federal law to ensure homeless students have access to a free public education. But who are these kids? How can someone be homeless but still attend school?

The most important thing to remember is we are talking about real kids in real time and space. Always keep that in the back of your mind- these might be categories on a page, but they are also people and their circumstances are very real.

Our first category is unsheltered students, meaning they live in places unsuitable or unintended for human habitation. Cars, parks, tents, and abandoned buildings are just a few places some live. This is roughly 3% of the total, or just over 9,500 kids. It is a miracle any of these kids can concentrate on their school work while living in such formidable conditions. Forget about studying for exams or writing papers; living an unsheltered lifestyle forces the youth to focus on their physical survival.

Keeping clothes clean and presentable for school is a near impossibility. The physical aspects of decent health and hygiene can cause any student to fear the social caste system of school, but the insecurity is exponentially increased when a kid lives in such deplorable conditions.

The next category involves students who live in hotels/motels, which constitutes 6%, or about 19,000 kids. This is cheap, temporary housing and the family often moves from place to place. Even though the student has a roof and access to bathing, usually families must share a single room with a single bed which is given to the parents or younger children. There is no real sense of permanence or a reliable support system.

Another drawback to this lifestyle is the lack of guaranteed food and proper nutrition. If limited finances are being stretched to pay the motel bill, there is less money available for food. This might be better than living an unsheltered life, but it is still difficult to dedicate the proper amount of attention to school work while living in such a cramped room. The environment can be chaotic, making academic concentration nearly impossible.

Students living in homeless shelters compose the next demographic of 16%, totaling more than 50,000. Having worked for a number of years with Samaritan House, I've encountered many of these kids and seen their struggles and triumphs. Living in a shelter, or free housing dedicated to youth, does offer some structural parameters that provide students with a better atmosphere for studying. But there can still be a sense of longing and discontent.

An important part of fitting into high school is feeling comfortable socially. Even with shelter and food, a student living in a homeless shelter can still be embarrassed about their circumstances. It doesn't take long for news to circulate around a school as to which students are homeless. Many shelters require their occupants to adhere to strict time guidelines which eliminate the possibility for extra curricular activities, clubs, or sports. This plays a significant role in limiting the youth's ability to participate in things other students have easier access to.

Lastly, the most common group registers at 75%. More than 237,000 students live with friends or someone other than their parents/ guardians. This is described as couch surfing or 'crashing' and it usually means the student is trying to find a supportive environment because their home isn't safe. The student makes a conscious decision to leave their own home and sleep at someone else's place.

Think back to when you were in high school. I'm sure many of us had that one friend we hung out with all the time; people would have said you "lived" with them. But you didn't. There is a difference between spending a night or two with someone and moving in. This is usually temporary and the student merges in and out of multiple environments, never finding permanence. The usual length is about 2 weeks and then the youth moves on to another place. When options run out, the student is forced to either become homeless or move back in with their family. We will talk more about this later in the week because its often not as simple as it sounds.

So there you have it. When you read or hear about homeless high school students, they generally (but not always) fall into one of these categories. They all face unique challenges and should be lauded for their commitment to education.

* Information courtesy of invisiblehomelesskids.com and National Center for Homeless Education.