Stateof Crisis
Dismantling Student
Homelessness in California

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Joseph P. Bishop, Ph.D.
Lorena Camargo Gonzalez
1
Edwin Rivera

Table of Contents

I
II
III
IV
V
VI

Underlying Challenges Impacting Academic Success forStudents Experiencing Homelessness
01

Education Policy & Student Homelessness
08

Key Findings from the Field & Our Analysis
14

Student Perspectives
44

Portrait of California’s K-12 Homeless Student Population:
Identifying Patterns & Geographic Needs
49

Policy Implications
60

VII

Conclusion

VIII

References

Appendix A

Research Methods

64

66

73

Appendix B

Interview Protocol

Appendix C

Glossary

77
79

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

2Partnership on Supporting Students Experiencing
Homelessness
This project came about in response to the homelessness challenge impacting 269,000 students inthe public school system in California, mainly as it affects Latinx and Black students. The Raikes
Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative have generously supported
this study. Our work with the Raikes Foundation, SchoolHouse Connection, and Education Leads
Home has connected our efforts to a network of states committed to pursuing school-based
solutions to homelessness, including Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Kentucky.

Acknowledgements
This report was designed and edited by Geneva Sum, Communications & Design Specialist for
the Center for the Transformation of Schools (CTS). The authors also thank CTS colleagues:
Dr. Angela James, Senior Researcher at CTS, Shena Sanchez, Kacy Martin, Conor Sasner,
Aline Soares, Nancy Giang, Cristine Ortiz, Alejandra Garcia, Yi Zhao, and Jiyue Yu for theircontributions to the research. We are grateful for the generous support of the Raikes Foundationand Education Leads Home: A Campaign of SchoolHouse Connection, the Stuart Foundation,and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) for their investment in this project and the work of
CTS. This report benefited from the insights and expertise of the California Department of
Education (CDE), Dr. Pedro Noguera, Dean for the Rossier School of Education at the Universityof Southern California, Dr. Tyrone Howard, Professor of Education in the School of Education
and Information Studies at UCLA and faculty director of the Center, Dr. Matthew Morton,
Research Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and Dr. Melissa Chinchilla, aResearch Scientist at the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity.

Special Thanks

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

3iStructure of the Report
The goal of this report is to explore the types of educational and social supports that 269,000
students experiencing homelessness in California in K-12 may require to be successful inschool and life[1]. We also document the unique needs of children and students experiencing
homelessness in early learning settings for grades 0-5 through college, including 1 in 5
community college, 1 in 10 California State University (CSU) and 1 in 20 University of California(UC) students. Section I establishes the underlying challenges impacting educational successfor students experiencing homelessness. The parameters for state and federal policies toaddress student homelessness in California are summarized in Section II. Section III of thereport captures key findings based on focus groups and interviews with over 150 stakeholders
from across the state including service providers, community-based organizations, Local
Education Agencies (LEAs), and higher education institutions in the state of California (seeAppendix B for research methods). In Section IV, we highlight the perspectives of students
who have experienced homelessness, exploring how homelessness has affected their capacity
to participate and succeed in school. In Section V of the report, we analyze patterns in statedata from the 2018-2019 academic school year for school districts and counties. Specifically, we
analyze key indicators that influence student academic success, including 1) suspension rates,
2) chronic absenteeism rates, 3) graduation rates, and 4) UC/CSU readiness rates. Implications
for lawmakers at all levels of government to address the student homelessness crisis arepresented in Section VI. Lastly, Section VII discusses the connections between our findings inthis report, and some of the practices, policies, and priorities that can improve services for thegrowing number of young people living in poverty and experiencing homelessness in the state ofCalifornia.

Because of the complexity and scale of the challenges facing
students experiencing homelessness in California, policymakers
and educators need more accurate methods and greater capacity
to identify affected students so that they can develop a strategy
for deploying resources and implementing effective support
systems. Both focus group participants and individual interviewees
overwhelmingly called for an aggressive response to address thegrowing needs of students experiencing homelessness.

Appropriate Citation: Bishop, J.P., Camargo Gonzalez, L., Rivera, E. (2020). State of Crisis:
Dismantling Student Homelessness in California. Center for the Transformation of Schools,
School of Education & Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in Californiaii
4

COVID-19& Inequality

Poverty and inequality had profoundly shaped the California education
landscape long before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost twothirds of the 6.3 million K-12 students in California are economicallydisadvantaged. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to bring about additionalhardships for students and families experiencing homelessness.
COVID-19 stay-at-home orders have led to a surge in job loss and employment rates, at its
peak (15.5%) reaching the highest it’s been in 50 years (Bohn et al., 2020). Unemployment
numbers in Los Angeles County, the state’s most populous, reveal that 599,000 residents have
filed for unemployment, which could result in significant consequences for 558,000 children
who live in households unlikely to be able to pay the rent (Blasi, 2020). Substantial increases
in unemployment and other adverse economic repercussions of the virus will likely cause anincrease in the number of students who will fit the definition of homelessness under federal laws
and thus qualify for homeless educational services.
Across California, school locations closed in
March and transitioned to distance learningin an attempt to prevent the spread of thevirus. While closing schools was necessary
to protect public health, school closures pose
real challenges for students experiencing
homelessness because many of them depend
on support services provided by their local
schools. These include a safe space to be
and learn during the day for 6-8 hours,
school meals, dedicated and caring staff,
developmental support for early learning,and expanded learning through before/after
school services. For our college-level students,
the closing of postsecondary institutions has
placed additional stress on young people whohave no housing off-campus.
Districts throughout the state have modified
services for students experiencing homelessness
to adapt to the challenges of coping with
COVID-19, both in terms of helping students
meet basic needs, and through providing
distance learning services. Nevertheless, someof the underlying learning challenges thatexisted before COVID have only created more
stark differences between students experiencing
homelessness and those who have a stable living
environment. One county official shared her
perspective on this issue.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

iii

“

Most of our families end up in places like motels, because there is very limited
housing for them. So they may be in motels for months or years because thepermanent housing market is just not there…and that’s tough to be in situations
where you’re in a hotel and trying to learn. That’s not optimal learning. If you’ve
got a family of seven living in a one-room apartment for months on end andtrying to do online learning, that right there alone, it’s very, very difficult, and it’s
discouraging for a lot of our students. We’re pushing education because we know
it can be a cycle breaker, but it’s discouraging for them.

Many students experiencing
homelessness depend on support
services provided by their local schools.
These include:• a safe space to be and learn
during the day for 6-8 hours• school meals• dedicated and caring staff• developmental support forearly learning• expanded learning throughbefore/after school services“

Some of the modified services that school systems have prioritizedin response to COVID-19 include transportation assistance,“home” delivery of learning materials (or other appropriate
options), and providing meals and hygienic supplies. Los Angeles
County has established 60 ‘Grab and Go’ centers to allow students
and families to access two meals each day. Across the state,school districts have modified their nutrition services programs
to provide weekly and weekend meals in bulk for entire families.
Meal distribution has also provided an effective mechanism for
local educational agencies (LEAs) to communicate with families
and supply additional educational resources, materials, andpertinent information. In Fresno County, for example, districts
are working together with teachers to help develop systems for
identifying students who might be experiencing homelessness
through ‘virtual’ indicators presented within distance learning
settings. Some districts in the Central Valley are exploring ways
to improve instruction for students who lack access to quiet,
dedicated spaces for learning and class participation. A county
office of education representative explained further.

For students, let’s say, in a motel room, these kids are trying to learn and focus.
Quite a few districts are getting headphones so that it cancels out [distractions].
Also, some are actually ordering microphones. So they’re really anticipating what
students might need.
The abrupt shift to distance learning has presented real challenges for students experiencing
homelessness. Challenges for students experiencing homelessness include not only finding safe,
stable spaces for them to learn, but also having adequate technology and internet access toparticipate in class discussions. One Southern California non-profit shared how it has shifted
its focus under COVID-19 to distributing hot spots to families, shelters, and motels or hotels, tohelp students.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

iv

“We’ve made getting hot spots a top priority for our organization to support distanceeducation. Recently we delivered a hotspot to a family, and their little girl started
crying. She was just so happy, because she loved doing her homework and that
hotspot would allow her to do homework.
There was a hotel owner that worked so well with the county homeless liaison thata partnership was developed between them and a non-profit educational services
agency that the hotel owner designated one entire room typically used to rent for
students to set up digital devices and virtually meet with teachers and tutors.
As one interviewee shared, these types of collaborations are more likely to be possible whenhomeless liaisons have served in their positions for several years, are fully and continuously
funded, and become familiar enough with the communities they serve to build relationships
with students and families. In some instances, because of the dislocation challenges associatedwith homelessness, teachers and school sites have difficulty communicating with students
outside of school, making it difficult to effectively communicate with students outside of school
to assess their living situations or educational needs. The cumulative effects of these both
known and unknown COVID-19-related opportunity gaps may further exacerbate disparities inachievement between students experiencing homelessness and their non-homeless peers.
In response to COVID, the California Department of Education continues to work closely with county
homeless liaisons to ensure that students experiencing homelessness and youth within their county
have access to technology and internet access to support distance learning. This report highlights
the urgency of responding effectively to the changing needs of students experiencing homelessness
during the pandemic, documenting prevailing educational conditions that existed before COVID.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in Californiav

I

Underlying Challenges
Impacting the Academic
Success of Students
Experiencing Homelessness

CHALLENGE 1

Growth in the Numbers of Students Experiencing Homelessness
According to the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) (2019),
27% (151,278) of all people experiencing
homelessness, and 53% (108,432) of allunsheltered individuals in the United States
live in California.[1] The CDE reports that over
269,000 students in kindergarten through12th-grade experience homelessness. That’s
enough young people to fill Dodger
Stadium to capacity almost five times.
However, there is good reason to suspectthat the number of students experiencing
homelessness could be considerably higher.
For example, a recent survey of 700 school
districts in California found that many
districts do not accurately report the numberof homeless students due to factors such as
the population’s underreporting, high degreeof mobility, and instability (Piazza & Hyatt,
2019a). The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
employs an alternative approach to estimating
the prevalence of teenage homelessness
and measuring various characteristics ofstudent homelessness. YBRS, an anonymous, self-reported survey, estimates population rates
for high school students impacted by different housing circumstances to be considerably higher
than state rates counts (Cutuli et al., 2019). While YRBS only examines high school students
self-reporting on homelessness, it suggests that different measurement methods can produce
different population estimates.
According to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Education, California has experienced
a 48% increase in student homelessness over the last decade (U.S. Department of Education,
2018; See Figure 1). Such a dramatic increase in students experiencing homelessness has
made implementing strategies for reducing the impact of homelessness on student education
challenging to accomplish, especially in districts and counties where there is only one homelessliaison. That’s because the responsibilities of a homeless liaison are quite expansive (see page 4),
including working directly with families or guardians, child welfare agencies, housing agencies,
health care providers, school site leadership, district leadership and others to eliminate any
potential academic, social, emotional or health barriers for students. Several district and county
homeless liaisons who participated in focus groups for this report indicated that larger school
districts need more than one homeless liaison to help identify and serve students and families[1] HUD considers individuals and families sleeping in a place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping
accommodation (e.g., abandoned buildings, train stations, or camping grounds) as “unsheltered” homeless.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Underlying Challenges

2experiencing homelessness. All districts are required by law to have at least one homelessliaison. However, interviews with homeless liaisons revealed a common theme: that not all
schools serving growing numbers of students experiencing homelessness have a school site
liaisons to work in coordination with district liaisons, a best practice recommended by boththe United States Department of Education and the California Department of Education. Thissuggests a need for ongoing funding to support a full-time liaison at individual school sites.
Even when districts do have designated homeless liaisons, they often have other responsibilities,
which makes it difficult for them to perform the complex tasks essential for someone in this role.
When liaisons are not present at schools, students experiencing homelessness must rely upon
support from district officials (Piazza & Hyatt, 2019a). One district administrator identified acommon challenge for the field: most school staff, including school secretaries and counselors,
have not received training on how to identify and support students experiencing homelessness.
One educator explained,“

Our school secretaries and school counselors need more training on how tocorrectly identify homeless youth so we can better support our youth.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Underlying Challenges

3Homeless Liaison Responsibilities(California Department of Education)

The LEA must designate a Homeless Liaison and ensure that the liaison is able to carryout his/her duties as legally required. The liaison must:• Ensure homeless children and youth are properly identified and immediately enrolled.
• Review/revise and local policies and practices to ensure that students are not segregated or stigmatized (byschool or program) on the basis of their homeless status.
• Participate in professional development and technical assistance activities and ensure that school personnel
providing McKinney-Vento services receive professional development and support.
• Assist unaccompanied homeless youth with enrollment, school placement, and obtaining records.
• Inform parent, guardian and unaccompanied homeless youth of educational opportunities available to ensure
homeless students have equal access to magnet and summer schools, career technical education, advanced
placement, and other LEA programs.
• Disseminate public notice of McKinney-Vento rights in locations frequented by parents, guardians, andunaccompanied youth, in a manner and form understandable to parents, guardians, and youth.
• Ensure that preschool-aged homeless children and their families have access to and receive services, if eligible,
under LEA-administered preschool programs (may include Head Start, Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), and other LEA preschool programs).
• Remove enrollment barriers, including barriers related to missed application or enrollment deadlines; fines or
fees; records required for enrollment including immunization or other required health records, proof of residency,
or other documentation; or academic records, including credit transfer.
• Ensure students identified as homeless have school stability, and parents and school personnel are informed
about how school of origin extends to preschools, receiving schools, and providing transportation until the end of
the school year, even if a student becomes permanently housed.
• Inform parent/guardian/unaccompanied homeless youth of all services, including transportation to the school oforigin, and the criteria for transportation assistance.
• Coordinate and collaborate with different divisions within the LEA such as special education, migrant education,
Title I, nutrition services, transportation, etc. to ensure homeless students are afforded the opportunities andadditional resources to have the access of their housed peers.
• Develop and coordinate collaborations with resources, including: public and private child welfare and social
services agencies; law enforcement agencies; juvenile and family courts; agencies providing mental healthservices; domestic violence agencies, child care providers; runaway and homeless youth centers; food banks,
providers of services and programs funded under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act; and providers of
emergency, transitional, and permanent housing, including public housing agencies, shelter operators, andoperators of transitional housing facilities.
• Ensure public notification of the educational rights of homeless students is disseminated in locations frequented
by parents, guardians and unaccompanied youths, including schools, shelters, public libraries, and soup kitchens,in an understandable manner and form.
• Ensure that parents and the LEA staff are aware of the importance of the privacy of student records, including
information about a homeless child or youth’s living situation.
• Mediate school enrollment disputes and attend, as authorized, Student Success Teams (SST), School Attendance
Review Team/Board (SART/SARB), Individual Education Plan (IEP), Expulsion and Manifestation Determination
meetings.
• Refer homeless families and students to housing services, in addition to other services. Liaisons may affirm
whether homeless students meet the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition ofhomelessness in order to qualify for HUD homeless assistance programs.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Underlying Challenges

4Figure 1. Student Homelessness in California (U.S. Department of Education; 2018)
Number of Homeless Children/Youth Enrolled in CA Public Schools, 2005-16

350,000
300,000

251,256

250,000
200,00048%
overallincrease

169,722150,000
100,000
50,0000

2005-06

2006-072007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2011-12

2012-132013-142014-152015-16

Note. The decrease in homeless counts during 2009-10 coincide with the implementation of the California Longitudinal
Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), and the dip in 2014-15 coincides with a change in the way homeless data
were collected in CALPADS. Figure 1 enrollment data were retrieved from yearly Consolidated State Performance
Reports through the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 2016.

CHALLENGE 2

Undercounted Students with Varying Definitions andUnderstandings of Student Homelessness
Students who experience homelessness, many of whom are
Latinx (70%) and Black (9%) (California Department of Education,2018), and LGBTQ-identifying youth (Morton et al., 2017) facesignificant hurdles to academic success (Cutuli et al., 2013).
Instability in housing can result in lost instructional timeof all people experiencing
due to absences. Homelessness can be closely related to lost
homelessness andinstructional time and patterns of chronic absence (Van Eck et al.,2017). For example, a recent study of California districts eligible
for additional state funds shows that students experiencingof all unshelteredhomelessness had the highest rate of chronic absence (Gee &individuals in the United
Kim, 2019). One major hurdle to academic success for students
States live in California.
experiencing homelessness is schools being unaware that students
are experiencing homelessness (California State Auditor, 2019).
Going uncounted and sometimes unnoticed because of a lack ofawareness is not uncommon for students experiencing homelessness. Students experiencing
homelessness and their families are often highly mobile and may also have an immigration
status that places them or their families at risk of deportation (Piazza & Hyatt, 2019a; Young
III et al., 2018). In one instance, a student shared his experience with becoming “unenrolled” or

27%
53%

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Underlying Challenges

5pushed out by his schools because of chronic absence while homeless. In this instance, the school
may have not known how his housing situation was affecting his attendance.
Some families and students do not reveal their living situations because they fear the stigma
associated with homelessness, or because they do not understand that they may be eligible for
additional educational supports and resources. Students, especially youth who often do notconsider themselves as homeless or in crisis may not even see themselves as homeless, though
they meet the criteria established by law, because they are living with relatives or friends, albeit
under suboptimal circumstances.

Many of my students who I know are living with uncles and in bulk houses or in
one room of a house don’t consider themselves homeless because they have a place
to sleep even if it’s temporary and really uncomfortable...The school and district[does] not ask them specific questions about their living situation. Housing andrent prices are too high. Families are living bunched up on one property.

K-12 students experiencing homelessness in CA

269,269“

One typical response we heard is described by a community based-organization staff who
participated in a focus group for this report; she explained the complications with selfidentification when students are “doubled up,” or when multiple families are sharing housing.

Varying Federal Definitions of Student Homelessness Impacts Student Identification
A common obstacle when gathering accurate
data on the number of students experiencing
homelessness is the varying Federal definitions,
regulations, and criteria for determining
homelessness. Under the Federal McKinneyVento Act (MVA), for example, a family in a
doubled-up living situation due to economic
hardship, loss of housing, natural disaster,or living in a motel or hotel, is consideredhomeless and qualifies for educational
supports. However, under the Departmentof Housing and Urban Development (HUD’s)regulations around MVA, families in doubledup living situations, or living in motels or
hotels are not classified as homeless. Eligibility
differences can also limit the support levels,and types of services students and theirfamilies can receive. Out of the 269,000
California students currently identified
in our education system as experiencing
homelessness, fewer than 20% qualify for HUD
services. HUD defines homelessness in thefollowing four categories (Table 1).

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Underlying Challenges

6Understanding the differences between the McKinney-Vento and HUD definitions ofhomelessness (e.g., motels, hotels and shelters)–presents considerable challenges for educators
and advocates in the field who must assess student needs and direct appropriate services foryoung people.
Table 1. Homeless Definition for HUD and Mc-Kinney Vento Definition

Children and Youth and HUD’s
Federal Homeless Definition

Mc-Kinney Vento definition for Early childhood
providers and K-12 schools

Category 1: Literal homelessness

1. Children and youths who are sharing the
housing of other persons due to loss of
housing, economic hardship, or a similarreason;Individuals and families who live in a place notmeant for human habitation (including the streets
or in their car), emergency shelter, transitional
housing, and hotels paid for by a government or
charitable organization.
Category 2: Imminent risk of homelessness
Individuals or families who will lose their primarynighttime residence within 14 days and has noother resources or support networks to obtainother permanent housing.
Category 3: Homeless under other federal statutes
Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, orfamilies with children and youth, who do not meet
any of the other categories but are homelessunder other federal statutes, have not had a leaseand have moved 2 or more times in the past 60
days and are likely to remain unstable because of
special needs or barriers.[2]Category 4: Fleeing/ Attempting to Flee
Domestic Violence

2. Children and youths who may be living inmotels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters;
3. Children and youths who have a primarynighttime residence that is a public or private
place not designed for or ordinarily used as aregular sleeping accommodation for humanbeings4. Children and youths who are living in cars,
parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings,
substandard housing, bus or train stations, orsimilar settings, or;
5. Migratory children who qualify as homelessbecause they are children who are living insimilar circumstances listed above.
Students must lack a fixed, regular, and adequatenighttime residence to qualify as homeless.

Individuals or families who are fleeing or
attempting to flee domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, or stalking and who lackresources and support networks to obtain otherpermanent housing.

[2] An unaccompanied youth is a young person, not in the physical custody of their parent or guardian. A homeless unaccompanied youth is one
that meets that definition as well as the definition of homelessness.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Underlying Challenges

7

II

Education Policy& Student Homelessness

California Local Control Funding Formula & YouthHomelessness Resources
In California’s K-12 schools, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), has changed how local
educational agencies (LEAs) in the state are funded and how local decision makers choose
to allocate state education dollars. LCFF directs additional funds to districts based on thenumber of students who are low-income, English Learners, and in the foster care or child welfare
system (California Department of Education, 2019f). 4 million of over 6.3 million students in thestate are low-income (66%; California Department of Education, 2019f), 1.1 million are English
Learners (19%; California Department of Education; California
Language Census, 2019g) and 47,000 students are in foster care
(0.7%; California Department of Education, 2019i). Young people
experiencing homelessness may simultaneously be in any or allof the previously listed categories. Yet, there is no dedicated statefunding stream within the LCFF formula to support students
experiencing homelessness (California Department of Education,
2019c), as there are for low-income, foster youth and English
Learners. In order to support students who are experiencing
homelessness, the California Department of Education currently
only funds a limited number of county offices of education anddistricts through highly competitive limited federal grant dollars
through the Education for Homeless Children and Youth grant,
and encourages and relies on districts to reserve Title I, Part A
funds., and limited federal grant dollars through the Education forHomeless Children and Youth grant.
Many LEAs choose to use LCFF supplemental and concentration dollars to prioritize academic
success of students experiencing homelessness as part of the “low-income” student groupwhich, under the law, is reflected in their Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).[3] LCAPs
are one way to monitor interventions and supports being provided to students experiencing
homelessness. The California School Dashboard disaggregates by academic performance,
academic engagement, and conditions and climate data by student group, including students
experiencing homelessness, making it possible to monitor their progress across the state.

California Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
More than 600 districts and 14 pilot school sites are implementing a Multi-Tiered System ofSupport (MTSS),[4] an effort that the Center for the Transformation of Schools (CTS) at UCLA is coleading with the Orange County Department of Education and Butte County Office of Education.
This systems approach to organizing schools around the needs of students to support learning andpromote positive discipline, employs the use of inclusive practices (e.g., curriculum design, drawing
from students’ experiences and expertise, and fostering respectful environments) to meet students’
academic, social and emotional needs. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local
Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), aligned to California’s Eight State Priorities, provide[3] The state Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) template can be found here: https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/lc/
documents/lcaptemplate2020.docx[4] More information about the California MTSS initiative can be found at https://ocde.us/MTSS/Pages/CA-MTSS.aspx

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Education Policy

9the infrastructure for building a statewide system of support. California’s Multi-Tiered System ofSupport Framework can be a driver for implementation.
MTSS is an evidence-based and comprehensive vision for addressing system-wide and instructionalchanges necessary to lift up students and families that have been historically underserved byschools. These include including low-income students, students of color, English Learners, foster
youth, students experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ-identifying young people, and students withdisabilities. While preliminary research shows that MTSS is a promising, multifaceted approach fordelivering support to students (Stoiber & Gettinger, 2016), several of the individuals we interviewed
noted that MTSS implementation could help provide heightened or targeted supports for students
experiencing homelessness as an implementation framework for LCFF.

The Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act (MVA)
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, MVA, was reauthorized
as part of the Federal Government’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
MVA serves as the primary federal policy mechanism specificallydesigned to support the educational success of students experiencing
homelessness. MVA requires that all students experiencing homelessness
age 21 and under, be afforded access to public education. Under the law,
all school districts, charters, states, and postsecondary institutions, whenapplicable, are required to remove barriers to enrollment, attendance,and educational success for students experiencing homelessness.
students experiencing
However, merely 106 of 1,037 school districts (9%) in California received
homelessness infederal funding from MVA to meet the mandates of the law. Those 106
California attend
subgrants, which total over $10 million (see Tables 2, 3, and 4) touchschools that receive no36% (approximately 97,000 young people) or 1 in 3 youth among thededicated MVA funding.
total student population experiencing homelessness. This means thata majority of students and LEAs receive no dedicated federal funds tosupport the educational success of students experiencing homelessness.
Table 2 shows how the California Department of Education allocates
MVA funds. Table 3 and Table 4 shows a list of districts in California receiving one and threeyear MVA subgrants. This list does not include County Offices of Education who are included in
the 106 communities receiving subgrants.

2 out
of 3

Table 2. Funding Formula for California McKinney Vento Act Subgrants
Number of Enrolled HomelessChildren and YouthMaximum Funding Amount50-100101-249
250-499500-1,500
1,501-2,500
2,501-5,000
over 5,000$15,000$25,000$50,000$75,000$125,000$175,000$250,000

Note. Data on this table were retrieved from the California Department of Education, 2020.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Education Policy

10Table 3. LEAs that Received One-Time McKinney Vento Funding (2019-20)
District

Homeless Cumulative Enrollment* †Hacienda La Puente Unified
Lindsay Unified
East Whittier City Elementary

2019-20 Award
800
367
264

$42,000$42,000$41,900

Table 4. LEAs that Received 3-Year McKinney Vento Funding (2019-20)
District
Los Angeles Unified
Santa Ana Unified
Moreno Valley Unified
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified
Pomona Unified
Ontario-Montclair
San Juan Unified
Pajaro Valley Unified
Twin Rivers Unified
Rowland Unified
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
Chino Valley Unified
Riverside Unified
Anaheim Elementary
Magnolia Elementary
San Ysidro Elementary
Merced Union High
Lancaster Elementary
Oakland Unified
Lucia Mar Unified
Escondido Union Elementary
Stockton Unified
Westminster
West Contra Costa Unified
Manteca Unified
Natomas Unified
Pasadena Unified
Elk Grove Unified
San Luis Coastal Unified
Robla Elementary
Fairfield-Suisun Unified
Palm Springs Unified
Roseville Joint Union High
Eureka City Schools
Lynwood Unified
Center Joint Unified
Poway Unified
Little Lake City Elementary
South Whittier Elementary
Bear Valley Unified
Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified
Ukiah Unified
Marysville Joint Unified
McFarland Unified
San Leandro Unified
Alameda Unified
Torrance Unified
Placerville Union Elementary

Homeless Cumulative Enrollment* †18,979
6,970
4,846
5,417
3,061
2,528
3,305
3,208
3,223
3,620
3,391
2,696
2,652
1,966
1,814
1,390
724
1,371
1,179
1,030
1,320
2,148
775
1,042
1,082
375
829
725
642
550
499
2,391
369
366
549
347
289
279
148
249
261
374
352
233
157
94
223
79

2019-20 Award$250,000$250,000$250,000$250,000$175,000$175,000$175,000$175,000$175,000$175,000$175,000$175,000$175,000$125,000$125,000$125,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$50,000$50,000$50,000$50,000$50,000$50,000$50,000$25,000$25,000$25,000$25,000$25,000$25,000$15,000*https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/hs/documents/coeliaisonlist.xlsx					†Cumulative enrollment is calculated at each reporting level (e.g., district, county, etc.) and therefore is not necessarily additive from one
reporting level to the next.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Education Policy11

A recent survey of over 650 California homeless liaisons found that more must be done to fully
fund and implement MVA federal requirements (Piazza & Hyatt, 2019a). The survey revealed
that most liaisons have difficulty fulfilling the MVA’s requirements to meet student academic
needs because of recurring challenges in providing basic needs and services, including accesshealth care, dental services, and mental health and substance abuse services. The extent ofliaisons’ responsibilities have, in many cases, become so expansive, that more resources andstaffing are needed to meet the intent of MVA.
Despite clear limitations with MVA implementation, mostly related to its funding levels, state
LEA grantees shared examples of ways that they are using their grant resources to improve theeducational trajectories of students experiencing homelessness. Several examples of how LEAs
are using funds are highlighted below.
One MVA grantee has been able to use its state grant to hire a full-time liaison who has
become an invaluable connection point between students, families, motel managers, faithbased organizations, and nonprofits in the area. Such coordinated efforts are critical to helping
students obtain school supplies, securing donations for students, and supporting student
attendance in a summer camp after the school year. She explained their strategic use of funds.

“

We’ve hired a full-time liaison, and that makes all the difference in the world.
Her role specifically is she goes to the local motels. She reaches out to the motelmanagers. She knows those families. She goes and knocks on the doors to faithbased organizations. They were able to send kids, pre-COVID, to summer camp,for instance. So it’s really just having a person that’s really able to do that. And
she has been the person. She’s a social worker by trade and makes sure that theresources are connected to the family. But I think it’s being in the community.
She reaches out and gets donations all the time.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Education Policy

12One rural county grantee has been able to reach more than half of its districts as a resultof obtaining additional resources and leadership training. It has also been able to support
professional learning for classroom teachers and staff through online training.

““

We trained over 200 people last year, looking at our data. The issue is it’s difficult
to get to our registrars, to our teachers, to our bus drivers. Now we actually have
online training. So at least now, we’re extending that to our teachers, to everyone.
And everyone’s required to take that training. I’m very excited. It’s not the same asin person, but just the awareness and who I contact is huge. So we have 15 districts
that could actually use that same program and push it out into their districts. So
that’s about half of our county.
Several MVA grantees described strategic efforts to boost college preparation and college-goingfor students experiencing homelessness. One such initiative has been developing an extensive
college access resource website for students who are trying to navigate the complexities ofcollege eligibility and application processes.

We were asking students, do you want to know how to get to college? Wedeveloped a 100 page resource site with information. Over and over, we get
responses from our students and from counselors and liaisons, that if we had notassisted them, they would not have completed the FAFSA. And they probably
would not have gone to college. That’s really the truth.
Grantees also shared how they have used
MVA subgrants or Education for HomelessChildren and Youth (EHCY) resources toprioritize mental health services, counseling,
after school tutoring, and many other
innovative strategies. In the following section,
we discuss key findings from additional
interviews with stakeholders. They describe
some of the challenges in meeting the
educational and basic needs of students andfamilies experiencing homelessness.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Education Policy

13

III

Key Findings from
Stakeholders in the Field ofEarly Childhood Education,
K-12 & Higher Education

The authors of this report interviewed over 150 individuals, including service
providers, county office of education representatives, district officials, students,
educators, homeless liaisons, advocacy, and community-based organizations.
To do so, we conducted three statewide focus group meetings, and one-on-one
interviews over the course of a year, intending to identify common responses tothe following questions:

What services are currently available to students experiencing homelessness
in school systems?
What obstacles do students face when seeking services?
How could school systems better serve students experiencing homelessness?
Table 5. Summary of Focus Group & Interview Participants (N=155)*
Interview Settings

Stakeholders

Number ofParticipants

Focus Groups

Nonprofit organizations, Service providers,Foundation Organizations, State agencies,
McKinney-Vento Liaisons, K-12 school staff,
K-12 school educators, K-12 District andCounty Partners, Higher Education partners

119

Individual interviews

Students

13

Individual interviews

Higher Education campus and system-wide leaders8

Individual interviews

Early Childhood Education partners

7

Individual interviews

Leaders in the department of education

4

Individual interviews

Nonprofit organizations

4*More detailed research methods can be found in Appendix A.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings15

In reporting our findings, we have also incorporated a discussion of the research
literature on student homelessness and the role of early childhood, K-12, andpostsecondary education systems in mitigating the effects of poverty. We thenmake connections between the data we collected from our focus groups andinterviews and the existing scholarship. A more detailed research methodology
description can be found in Appendix A.

Key Findings
A number of themes emerged in focus groups and interviews that the authors
further expand upon in this section:

01
02

Current professional capacity to support students impacted by homelessness
is inadequate: comprehensive, targeted and coordinated training is needed.

03

The prevalence of Latinx and Black youth experiencing homelessness
requires more racially and culturally responsive strategies in education
practice and policy.

04

Students experiencing homelessness are often overlooked or misunderstoodin school settings, which can result in negative educational experiences.

05

Better coordination is needed between child welfare, housing and education
stakeholders to alleviate barriers for students and families.

06

Community-based organizations and nonprofits provide a critical function
as part of an ecosystem of support for students and can get out resources tofamilies quickly.

07

The bookends of education, early education and higher education are anoften-overlooked yet essential part of a coordinated response to student
homelessness, from cradle to college.

Homeless liaisons are struggling to effectively respond to growing needs intheir community, requiring more resources and staffing.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

16

01

KEY FINDING

Current professional capacity to support students impacted by homelessness
is inadequate: comprehensive, targeted and coordinated training is needed.

Additional training focused on common instructional strategies that incorporate student supports
such as trauma-informed care, restorative practices, and efforts that promote positive social andemotional development, are essential for schools serving students experiencing homelessness.
Educators frequently stated that professional learning opportunities on such evidence-based
strategies are too general and not explicitly tailored to address the needs of students experiencing
homelessness. One district official explained further.

“

Many districts identify homeless students and refer them to dedicated staff, suchas a family advocate, but do not necessarily integrate training and knowledge ofstudent homelessness challenges into their regular practices (e.g. counselors needto provide additional services to homeless high school students).
Of those homeless liaisons anddistrict staff interviewed, a common
theme was that the responsibility of
coordinating services for homelessstudents has been placed on a single
staff member. Having a solitarystaff member serve as a homelessliaison was often cited in our focus
groups as highly problematic fora range of reasons. Often, suchindividuals are not based at a single
school site, but are serving multiple
school sites simultaneously. Whenhomeless liaisons are based within
district offices or county officesof education they are often too
removed from school settings toplay an effective role in supporting
homeless children and families tobe a part of a student’s daily lifeor play a substantive role in theschool’s community. County Officesof Education (COEs) and districtliaisons are overwhelmed by the
number of students in need of direct
services to students.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings17

I call myself the one-woman band. The
funding from the state is nonexistent for
homeless education. All of our money comesthrough the federal government and we havea grant which we have to apply for every
three years to receive funding. And so it’sbasically me and the county.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings18

As was described by homeless liaisons we interviewed, in some K-12 educational settings,
homeless liaisons serve as the lead educator supporting all high-need student populations (e.g.,foster youth, homeless youth, migrant youth). Such multi-role arrangements are often necessary
due to a shortage of funding. We learned from liaisons interviewed that they frequently struggle
to prioritize the educational success of homeless students, given the number of students they areserving and the complexity of student needs (e.g., range of necessary services, academic, social,and emotional supports).

“

Three different county officials highlighted a desire for more resources that would allow for
more professional learning opportunities for homeless education that match that of foster careliaisons, many of whom also wear a homeless liaison hat. One county official explains further.

I think it would help to just continue to provide deeper support. For instance,
in foster care, they have monthly meetings with their regions, and so they are
constantly providing them a place to gather and network and support each other.
I am part of those, but I bounce around to the foster care meetings just to support
the side of homeless. Since a lot of our homeless liaisons are foster liaisons, a lot of
our foster liaisons are homeless liaisons.
Families experiencing homelessness often face obstacles early on in accessing services for theirstudents. Navigating these obstacles requires highly trained educators who understand stateand federal laws and students’ rights. A Northern California official from Head Start, a federally
funded early anti-poverty program, explained the urgent need for additional training for people
in the field directly working with students and families experiencing homelessness. She stated:“

A lot of expertise is required to serve families experiencing homelessness.
You almost have to have a background in social services to handle some ofthe emotional strain and stress that the families are under.
This Head Start representative was speaking directly
to the impact of the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County,
and its effects on displaced families, many of whom
are now classified as homeless under the McKinneyVento Act (including doubled up due to economic
hardship or in temporary housing, shelters or hotels,
and motels). Later in this report, we explore therole of early interventions for students experiencing
homelessness like the federally funded Head Start
program. Head Start uses the same McKinney Vento
Act definition of homelessness, allowing for greateralignment and collaboration opportunities between
early childhood programs and K-12 systems. Families
with young children face additional, unique challenges
dealing with homelessness, especially the emotional
distress resulting from fires and home loss that canState of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

19impact young children, resulting in anxiety, nightmares, and sleep
disorders (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2010). The ability
to effectively respond to an array of student and family needs resulting
from a traumatic event like the Camp Fire requires that educators
possess specialized training and expertise.
Educators also need professional learning opportunities in order
to better serve specific populations of students experiencing
homelessness, including students who identify as lesbian, gay,bisexual, transsexual, and queer (LGBTQ). A majority of advocacy andcommunity-based organizations who participated in focus groups
expressed a need for intersectional training to increase awarenessabout the experiences of racial and ethnic minorities and LGBTQ
students experiencing homelessness (Quintana et al., 2010; Durso &Gates, 2012, p. 2017; Rush & Santos, 2018). Of the 1.6 million youth
who experience homelessness nationally, an estimated “20-40%
identify as LGBTQ” (Page, 2017). One of the primary reasons that
LGBTQ students experience high rates of homelessness and housing
insecurity is “family rejection on the basis of sexual orientation andgender identity.” Rejection and abuse force many students out of theirhomes (Durso & Gates, 2012; Page, 2017). LGBTQ students of color
face additional challenges related to discrimination and racism (NYC
Commission, 2010). Students who are Black and identify as LGBTQ
are more likely than other racial groups to experience homelessness(Morton et al., 2018).
Researchers have noted that MVA does not require targeted support for homeless LGBTQ youth(Quintana et al., 2010) or customized training for educators. Currently, California has no required
training for professionals who provide services to staff working with LGBTQ youth who may haverun away and become homeless as a result of mistreatment and rejection (Rush & Santos, 2018).
As one educator noted, “Any school-based adults who support students need training [for LGBTQ
identifying students], not just classroom teachers and administrators.” Quinatana et al. (2010) callfor a targeted standard of care for homeless LGBTQ youth.
A common finding among focus groups was a need for more guidance from county offices of
education, where services and expertise are typically housed on strategies for serving students
experiencing homelessness. Focus group participants noted that such guidance be should beoffered to school districts that have direct contact with students experiencing homelessness
and their families. Better communication, resource sharing, and coordination between school
districts and counties can help foster a robust, multi-system coordination of care. Currently,
educators and homeless liaisons find themselves working mainly in isolation as they respondto students impacted by housing instability. They feel challenged to identify students who need
services and connect them to services county-wide or within districts without adequate timeand resources to do so.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

20

02

KEY FINDING

Homeless liaisons are struggling to effectively respond to growing needs intheir community, requiring more resources and staffing.

The MVA mandates that all school districts and charter schools designate a homeless liaison
who can serve as an advocate for homeless children and youth. “Liaisons are broadly responsible
for monitoring transportation-related issues, facilitating student matriculations into schools
and programs, educating schools and parents about MVA, and consulting parents about how tonavigate school systems” (National Center for Homeless Education, 2017; Miller, 2011). Homelessliaisons are among the few staff who shoulder the responsibilities for promoting the academic
success and well-being of young people experiencing homelessness.

““

One of the most pressing concerns expressed by district liaisons in focus groups was the need tosupport students facing housing instability for the entire year, even when schools are closed. One
liaison explained:

My position is 9.5 months—this limits the amount of time I work with our
McKinney-Vento families. I know, I believe my work requires additional time,
9.5 [months] is not enough.
Minimal federal support can make funding full-time liaisons extremely difficult, particularly for
12-month positions in large county offices, such as Los Angeles County, that are heavily reliant
on McKinney Vento subgrants.
However, the increasing responsibilities of liaisons and the growing number of students experiencing
homelessness (48% in the last decade in California) now requires more time and resources to support
students, not less (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). A prevalent challenge of homeless liaisonsinterviewed was the all-consuming nature of the role. One participant said,

We service 80 districts and 350 plus charters
with anything that they need, everythingfrom technical assistance support, onsite
training, video training now, which we doa lot of, helping them find resources andsupplies. We’re doing a lot of technicalwork on legal related pieces. The funding isessential. I just wish again, there was more of
it because there’s such a high need.
The pressure to address critical unmet needs ofstudents experiencing homelessness and families
expressed by this liaison was also reiterated byseveral of the homeless advocates we interviewed.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings21

I feel like I am on call, 24/7.
It’s like I’m an ER doctor.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

22

Shouldering the primary responsibility for not only academic advice for students experiencing
homelessness, but also being a strong advocate for young people can be an overwhelming job, anissue that repeatedly surfaced in focus groups and individual interviews with liaisons. A recent
report recommended that school districts and the state of California devote more staff timeand resources to liaisons so that they can more effectively perform in their jobs (Piazza & Hyatt,
2019a). One study found that 92% of homeless liaisons spend less than 25% of their time carryingout their MVA-related duties (Shea et al., 2010), suggesting that time and availability could bebarriers to effective implementation of student supports. A majority of the liaisons interviewed
for this report carry out several roles, such as responsibility for providing services to foster
youth, migrant students, special education students, and “specialized services” broadly. The
authors also heard that time constraints and competing priorities can impede liaisons’ ability to
distribute resources, including clean clothes, childcare subsidies, health and hygiene supplies,
and access to laundry facilities. One liaison in particular explained the importance of being in
her position long enough to have built relationships in the community. This has allowed her tosuccessfully spread a message of need to donors to assist students and families.

“

Another concern expressed by the interviewees and focus group members involves the inability tomaintain consistent communication with students and families experiencing homelessness who
frequently move between temporary residences and often lack cell phones. Students may move
between districts, counties, and across state lines. The CEO of a nonprofit agency that provides
early childhood services mentioned it was challenging to provide services to families who did nothave a fixed living location. This issue also surfaced with liaisons. Early education programs only
receive funding if a student is in attendance and may need to dis-enroll students for missing as
little as 10 days in a full year. This dilemma is commonplace in early childhood programs.

The kids who are enrolled in our Head Start programs, where they do have a place
for children to be during the day, they tend to move around. The kids will be there
for a while, then they’re not there and we have to keep our attendance at 90%.
And that’s a challenge for us. The more kids that you enroll that are homeless,they may show up or they may not show up, the harder it is to keep your levels[attendance] at where they’re required by federal law to be.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

23Not only is maintaining consistent communication often difficult to manage, but so ismaintaining service continuity among highly mobile families experiencing homelessness.
Unstable living situations among the homeless population creates challenges in adhering tofederal requirements based on schools and delivering consistent support to children and youth.
These factors collectively—the growth of the student population experiencing homelessness,the broad scope of responsibilities for homeless liaisons, and the complex realities of serving ahighly mobile community—speak to the need for multiple layers of support to monitor, manage
and appropriately serve students and families experiencing homelessness. Employing only one
homeless liaison or staff member is insufficient to accomplish satisfactory performance inmost cases. However, it can be difficult to fund more than one staff because of budget constraints.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

24

03

KEY FINDING

The prevalence of Latinx and Black youth experiencing homelessness
requires more racially and culturally responsive strategies in education
practice and policy;

Researchers who have analyzed patterns related to race and discipline among students
experiencing homelessness have found that children of color experiencing homelessness are
more likely to have poor educational outcomes. This is reflected in our state analysis acrossall 58 counties. We found that Latinx (70%) and Black (9%) students who are experiencing
homelessness (see Figure 2) are almost twice as likely to be suspended (see Figure 3) or missan extended period of school to absenteeism (see Figure 4), experience lower graduation rates(16%, see Figure 5) and to be less ready for college than their non-homeless peers (27%, see
Figure 6). The intersection of poor educational outcomes and homelessness present within
schools cannot be overlooked (Moore et al., 2019; & Aviles de Bradley, 2015).
Figure 2. Student Enrollment by Race, 2018-2019

NonHomeless*54%

Latinx

70%

23%

White

12%

5%

Black

9%

10%

Asian

3%

4%

Two or more races3%

2%

Filipino

1%

1%

Not Reported

0.8%

0.5%

Homeless

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.8%

0.4%

0.6%

Pacific Islander

Note. State education data were retrieved from multiple 2018-19 reports created on DataQuest, disaggregated by Homelessness and filtered by“yes” for students experiencing homelessness and “no” for non-homeless students, California Department of Education, 2019b (https://data1.
cde.ca.gov/dataquest/)

During the 2018-19 school year,
Black, American Indian,White and Pacific Islander
students who experienced
homelessness received
suspensions at higher rates
compared to other student
populations (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Suspension Rates by Race/Ethnicity, 2018-2019
16%
12%

13.1%
10.8%

8.7%

8%
3.5%

4%
0%

Black

5.3%

Latinx

2.8%

AmericanIndianNon-Homeless

8.5%

7.6%

7.2%

White

4.4%
2.0%
1.0%

Asian

Pacific
Islander

8.2%

6.3%
3.3%

3.3%

Two ormore races

Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Note. Suspension rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Suspension Rate, California Departmentof Education, 2019c.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings25

Across all racial groups,
students experiencing
homelessness, werechronically absent at higher
rates than their peers (Figure4). During the 2018-2019 school
year, two out of five Black andAmerican Indian students
experiencing homelessness werechronically absent.

Figure 4. Chronic Absenteeism Rates by Race/Ethnicity, 2018-2019
50%

42%

40%
30%
20%

40%

22%

21%

21%

34%

13%

10%
4%

Black

Latinx

25%

19%

10%
0%

36%
29%

AmericanIndianNon-Homeless

White

9%

Asian

Pacific
Islander10%12%

Two ormore races

Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Chronic absenteeism rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate,
California Department of Education, 2019d.

During the 2018-19 school
year, 70% of all students
experiencing homelessness
graduated, compared to
86% of students who did notexperience homelessness(Figure 5). Overall, American
Indian students saw the lowest
graduation rates of all student
ethnic groups experiencing
homelessness.

Figure 5. Four-Year Cohort* Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity, 2018-2019
100%
75%

83%

78%

70%

64%

94%

89%

76%

85%

85%

70%

63%

77%

87%

86%
70%

63%

50%
25%
0%

Black

LatinxAmericanIndianNon-Homeless

White

Asian

Pacific
IslanderTwo ormore races

Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness*The four-year cohort is based on the number of students who enter grade 9 for the first time adjusted byadding into the cohort any student who transfers in later during grade 9 or during the next three years andsubtracting any student from the cohort who transfers out, emigrates to another country, transfers to a
prison or juvenile facility, or dies during that same period.
Note. Graduation rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,
California Department of Education, 2019e.

The percentage of homelessstudent graduates meeting UC/
CSU requirements was 29%
compared to the non-homelessstudent’s 52% overall rate
(Figure 6). Students experiencing
homelessness not only graduate atlower rates, but also are less likely
to meet UC/CSU requirements.
During the 2018-2019 school
year, fewer than 30% of Black,
Latinx, American Indian, PacificIslander, and White students who
experienced homelessness met the
UC/CSU course requirements in
California.

Figure 6. Four-Year Cohort UC/CSU Requirements Met by Race/Ethnicity, 2018-2019
100%
76%

75%
50%
25%
0%

24%

Black

58%

56%

45%

42%

29%

33%

25%

23%

11%

Latinx

57%

52%

41%

AmericanIndianNon-Homeless

White

Asian

Pacific
Islander29%

25%

Two ormore races

Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Note. UC/CSU Requirements Met data were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted
Cohort Graduation Rate, California Department of Education, 2019e.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

26

Research indicates that when schools respond negatively to student
behavioral problems but fail to address their underlying causes, they often
end up punishing the most vulnerable students (Gregory, et al., 2012).
Despite evidence that Latinx and Black children are disproportionately
affected by homelessness, policies aimed at supporting children
experiencing homelessness such as MVA are designed to be race-neutral.
They tend to ignore the underlying systemic issues (e.g. lack of access toa rigorous curriculum, underfunded schools, high unemployment, andpoor neighborhood conditions; Noguera et al., 2019) that most negatively
impact students of color. A greater number of students of color experience
homelessness compared to the overall population. Ultimately, the nature ofthese social and systemic patterns determines the effectiveness of policies
like MVA. These factors have significant implications in terms of theidentification, interventions, and supporting activities required to eliminate
barriers to educational success among students experiencing homelessness.
Aviles de Bradley finds that “blanket approaches to policy implementation fail to address the
racial realities for students of color” (Aviles de Bradley, 2015, p.842).
Consistent with past research (Paris & Alim, 2014; Aviles de Bradley, 2015), our interviews withservice providers, educators, and district homeless liaisons suggests the importance of considering
how racial discrimination and stigmas associated with homelessness often exacerbate theproblems facing students experiencing homelessness and their families. For example, we heard
numerous times in interviews and focus groups that students and families of color experiencing
homelessness are often described as “helpless,” “hopeless” and sometimes characterizeddisparagingly. Such characterizations tend to negate the high degree of resilience among students
and families experiencing homelessness. A student shared with us the stigma associated withbeing homeless, suggesting that the fear of stigmatization sometimes discourages students fromrevealing their living circumstances in what should be safe spaces, like schools.

“

There is a stigma towards being homeless. I definitely experienced that stigma.
For most of my childhood, I wanted to hide the fact that I was homeless. I didn’t
want anybody knowing. You’re a kid, that’s not something you want to go aroundsaying, like, “Yeah, you know, I live in a motel.” So, you try to hide that fact about
yourself, but then, as I got older, I realized that that was going to be my saving
grace and what propelled me into my future.
DILAN, 19
Stakeholders we interviewed also stressed that common challenges related to educator bias
against homeless youth and families contribute to the difficulties experienced by homelessstudents. Consistent with recommendations made by other researchers (Rush & Santos,
2018; Piazza & Hyatt 2019a; Edwards, 2019), community-based organizations expressed adesire to challenge the deficit discourses around homelessness and to move towards assetfocused discourses that emphasize the valuable experiences and expertise that students
enduring homelessness can bring to the classroom. Youth often feel they have more lived
experience than their peers, and in some cases more than some of their teachers, due to their
homelessness experiences.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings

27

“To shift towards a more asset-focused discourse, policymakers and administrators
must endeavor to “realign teacher perceptions’’ of students experiencing homelessness
as a homogeneous group (Moore, 2013). A careful examination of personal beliefs about
homelessness can help educators move toward better understanding and supporting the needsof students and families. As “Dilan” further explained, sometimes it is challenging for students
or teachers to even fathom a student in their class experiencing homelessness. Sometimes denialor even making light of homelessness can make students feel isolated.

There’s just a lot that I’ve witnessed growing up and that I realize my peers don’t
fully understand and even some teachers can’t fully grasp it. It’s not because theywant to be mean about it or because they look down on the person. It’s because
they’re trying to make light of the situation because they emotionally can’t wrap
their mind around it. Teachers, they don’t want to think of their children being inthat position.
DILAN, 19
Focus group participants suggested that symposia andprofessional development were needed to improve education
practices, and to create “higher levels of awareness among
educators related to their biases and understandings ofhomelessness.” Some of these opportunities already exist in
training for state networks of homeless liaisons and national
conferences of educators who serve students experiencing
homelessness. However, more educators could benefit fromparticipating in these networks and professional learning
opportunities. The CDE highly recommends Education forHomeless Children and Youth (EHCY) grantees use their grant
dollars to attend these, but those without the funds are left tofind ways to obtain funding needed to attend.

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04

KEY FINDING

Students experiencing homelessness are often overlooked or misunderstoodin school settings, which can result in negative educational experiences.

Several educators we interviewed shared examples of school staff and teachers who had a lack offamiliarity and understanding of the unique challenges of students experiencing homelessness.
Those educators we interviewed could say anecdotally that some adults had difficulty
establishing positive relationships with their students, or knowing their personal stories. One
district leader explained the problem in this way:“

We need to build empathy, [and] ability to think beyond your own life
experiences. There are many teachers who do not know about their student’s
personal struggles. They see the kids in school but have no idea of what they may
be going through. They may come off like they are not caring because they really
don’t understand.
Several educators made similar statements related to alack of educators’ familiarity with the challenges faced
by students and families experiencing homelessness.
Inadequate training on policy definitions and ways ofidentification of student vulnerabilities can reinforce
educators’ stereotypes about homelessness, and heighten
students’ feelings of isolation. However, promoting caring
school environments, when combined with increased
training on MVA for all teachers and staff, can help foster
quality relationships between teachers and students.
Knowing that teachers care about them builds selfesteem and makes students more likely to regularly
attend school (Aviles de Bradley, 2011; Knowlton, 2006).
Additionally, peer acceptance can have a positive
influence on attitudes toward school among children
who experience homelessness and housing instability(Gruman, Harachi, Abbott, Catalano, & Fleming, 2008).

“

In my junior year I was having difficulties in school because of how I was treatedby other students. I was dealing with bullying and then my home situation was
really difficult...I had to move schools because of how bad the bullying got. And
then I left school. I didn't get to go back and I tried to re-enroll this year and it
didn't work out too well. I couldn't make it to school so they unenrolled me. I
enrolled in another program and I couldn't make it. So they also unenrolled me.
And so I just decided I was going to take my GED instead.
OCTOBER, 18

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Key Findings29

My dad's friend let us stay inside his house.
But there were times when they would kickus out. And it would be two or three in themorning, and we would have to leave thehouse. So, there are times where I will keep
Axe spray and just spray myself before I go
to school…I kept it [homelessness] to myself
because I was already getting bullied about
my weight and everything else.
JOHNNY, 20

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Empathy and supportive school environments can help to mitigate and reduce disturbing patternsof school-based victimization for students experiencing homelessness. A statewide study of schoolbased victimization, discriminatory bullying, and weapon victimization by student homelessstatus (Moore et al., 2019) found that homeless students experience violence at higher rates,
particularly in school settings. Two students in individual interviews shared how peer bullying andpoor institutional responses negatively shaped their school experiences and outcomes.
These quotes from students remind us that youth who experience victimization in one context(i.e., home) are often at heightened risk of being bullied at school (Tyler & Schmitz, 2018).
“Olive” did not give specific examples of the challenges she faced at home, but did refer to her“home situation” as another obstacle impeding her ability to learn and to feel safe at school. In“Johnny’s” case, abandonment after staying at a friend’s house, coupled with bullying at school
about his weight, and “everything else” created a perfect storm of negative experiences during a
critical period of his life. He no longer found school to be a safe or supportive setting, which led
to him being pushed out of school and not graduating. Further, the school “unenrolling” Olive
when she could not make it to school profoundly shaped her academic options.
These findings have critical policy and service
intervention implications, underscoring how important
it is for educators to be able to identify underlying
issues that can make students particularly vulnerable
in school. Providers who serve students experiencing
homelessness should recognize that not having stablehousing may be only one of several challenges that a
student may face. Educators and anyone who provides
support services to students in school settings needtraining to know how to respond in these situations toprevent further trauma to students, and to establish
systems (e.g., academic support strategies before andafter school, peer networks, mentorship, tutoring,counseling, and transportation) that ensure students
experiencing homelessness feel welcome, valued andempowered in school settings.
Training on establishing prevention strategies likemonitoring student attendance, academic records andcommunications with parents and caregivers like those
identified by the California Department of Education
can help educators and support providers establish
interventions before they result in more complex
academic, social and emotional challenges for students
to overcome. Such training could cover issues such asincreasing awareness of critical behaviors in students
such changes in grades, attendance, “hoarding” food,and changes in mood.

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05

KEY FINDING

Better coordination is needed between child welfare, housing and education
stakeholders to alleviate barriers for students and families.

To improve outcomes for students experiencing homelessness, numerous stakeholders weinterviewed recommended that we shift from a siloed approach wherein different agencies workwithout coordination to meet the needs of the homeless population, to a full system of support for
students impacted by homelessness. A stronger focus on coordination of efforts between schools,
community-based organizations, county and state agencies would facilitate an integrated, familycentered response to the problem. One liaison described the issue further:“

We know we need to identify students, but sometimes the students are not
identified because it’s one person trying to identify versus having a whole system
put in place. So it really becomes a whole support network. You need to have alllevels communicating and working together.
Several respondents told us that such an approach would makeit more likely to disrupt cyclical patterns of homelessness that
impact multiple generations of family members. Disrupting
the educational trajectory of one student through coordinatedinterventions can have lasting effects within families. Greater
coordination also acknowledges that no single public system canadequately respond to the needs of young people and families(Corporation for Supportive Housing, 2011).
Successful interventions must begin by creating linkages between
housing, child welfare systems, and public education for threeimportant reasons: (1) the problems that homeless and childwelfare-involved families face are too complex for one system toaddress alone; (2) without stable housing it is extremely difficult
to address the other challenging issues families face; (3) schools
can perform a role as service hubs that bring educational services
and providers to students and families in ways welfare andhousing agencies cannot do in isolation.

“

An example of these linkages to stable housing is already happening in Orange County. A county
official explains further.

Family Solutions Collaborative is our coordinated entry specifically for families.
And we work with them on a personal basis, whether it’s email or calling them.
When we have a family that is struggling with housing, we are able to really tap
into resources available. They also have family navigators that we call, Access
Points, of different shelter agencies that we have broken up regionally within
Orange County.

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Several studies have made similar recommendations
about the need for greater coordination between
school districts and outside service providers(Edwards, 2019; Piazza & Hyatt, 2019a).
Focus groups also reflected the need for greater
coordination, with a call for a more centralized
process for supporting families that could reduce
re-traumatization from being required to tell andretell their stories and describing their needs tomultiple agencies. In most communities, housing
agencies, K-12, and higher education institutions
use their own proprietary data systems to makeservices available and to monitor the needs ofstudents experiencing homelessness. Navigating
the rules and procedures of different agencies
creates yet another challenge for homeless students
and their families. Often, families must repeat thedetails of their personal living situations multiple
times to various service providers to get help.
A more centralized support process would featuredevelopment of common intake forms, better coordination in staffing, shared office space, andfunding initiatives that require cooperation between nonprofits, school districts, and county
partners. It would eliminate or reduce the burden placed on families from having to travel
between offices, and reduce the paperwork required to obtain services and support.

“

A housing agency provider suggested in a focus group that

Parents should be given the gift of only having to tell their story once and receive
help the first time they ask.
Without alignment of definitions of homelessness at the federal level as part of MVA, it will remaindifficult to support a more compassionate response that honors the struggles of families and allow
for more strategic use of funds. Creating improved housing, child welfare, and education service
linkages for families not only holds the potential to best assist a group of families as they seek toachieve greater stability, but to optimize use of increasingly limited resources.

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06

KEY FINDING

Community-based organizations and nonprofits provide a critical function
as part of an ecosystem of support for students and can get out resources tofamilies quickly.

Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in many communities toserve students and families experiencing homelessness outside of
the regular school day. Our interviews and site visits to communitybased organizations revealed a lack of coordination between schools,
districts, homeless liaisons, and nonprofits or community-basedorganizations who may each serve the same homeless student
populations. The published research on the fragmented nature ofcollaborations between homeless liaisons and agencies committed toserving young people experiencing homelessness also highlighted alack of coordination (Ingram et al., 2017).
Nonprofits serve students who are “most concerned with their basic
needs, and sometimes not even contemplating higher education, oreven their education,” as explained by one Los Angeles area drop-in
center. Another CEO within the First5 California network explained
the significance of nonprofits as a vehicle for distributing resources
quickly that “require[s] less approvals and forms than counties
for families with immediate needs, especially families with young
children.” Another nonprofit CEO suggested that more funds could befunneled through community organizations to get immediate support
to young people and their families.

“

I’m a CEO of a nonprofit community-based organization and we can turn on adime [to get out resources]. And so I would say that the way to get directly to thecommunity is through community-based organizations that collaborate withschool districts and the county.
Nonprofit organizations are doing more than providing temporary educational support andbasic needs for youth. Instead, they can act as connectors or intermediaries for to otherresources, networks, and social capital—opportunities that are harder to obtain if youth
are seeking services on their own. In some instances, there are emerging examples of school
systems, community-based organizations, faith-based groups, counties, and governments who
have been able to “align services and redesign with intentionality’’ for the benefit of students
and families experiencing homelessness. Those collaborative efforts have taken years to build
in cities like Anaheim and Los Angeles. We recognize many more of these partnerships exist.
However, they require excellent coordination in rural communities and geographically isolated
settings that have the highest concentration of students experiencing homelessness in counties
like Butte, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and Trinity (California Department of Education, 2019).

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“

Nonprofit organizations can connect with existing communities and understand the challenges
faced in particular neighborhoods. For example, a CEO of a nonprofit in South Los Angeles
articulated how the community can help each other.

I'm very fortunate to be in the community that I'm in. We have a very familyoriented community. We don't make families come to us. We go out to the home.
We do whatever we can to support them if they need to go somewhere, and wehave a fleet of vans so we can pick them up and assist them and get them help.
Despite the critical support nonprofit organizations provide for their communities, they lackdedicated funding for supporting students and families experiencing homelessness. A CEO froma nonprofit serving both Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties shared a desire for more
direct streams of funding, specifically for homelessness. More direct funding streams could also
allow nonprofits to deploy resources and people more quickly.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Key Findings35

We need to identify a
specialized stream offunding for homelessfamilies and not justlumping homelessfamilies in with veteransand people with mental
health issues. There arefamilies out there, who
are really struggling withthis issue. They needsupport as well because
they’re overlooked.

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07

KEY FINDING

The bookends of education, early education and higher education are anoften-overlooked yet essential part of a coordinated response to student
homelessness, from cradle to college.

The types of challenges facing students experiencing homelessness vary considerably dependingon their age and the type of educational institution in which they are enrolled. For example, theneeds of children in early childhood settings are quite different from those enrolled in college.
Helping schools and colleges to develop their capacity to meet the needs of unhoused students
is essential. Distinct and coordinated responses from each education segment (e.g., earlyeducation, K-12, and higher education) that can facilitate more seamless educational pathways
requires better record sharing and connections across institutions so that students experiencing
homelessness encounter minimal disruption to their educational pursuits (Chapin Hall, 2019).

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Sector
Early childhood educators shoulder a significant responsibility
for supporting the academic, social, emotional, and physicalhealth of children and families, especially families experiencing
homelessness. A lack of affordable housing, the rising costs ofliving in California and stagnant wages represent some of the
primary drivers for increased rates of homelessness for California
families, especially families with young children (California
Department of Education, 2019a). Research shows that earlyinterventions and continuous investments in quality school
experiences are critical to supporting healthy brain development
and meeting students developmental and social needs (Yoshikawa
et al., 2013). This is especially true for children from low-income
families. Quality early childhood education can also change
mobility patterns across generations and break cycles of poverty(Johnson, 2013).
Access to early childhood programs can aid families and students experiencing homelessness
since programs are geared at serving the whole child, assisting with medical, job training,and enrollment in higher education. Essential human services are a way to improve the abilityof parents to promote learning and the healthy development of their children (Theis et al.,2019). Additionally, helping families develop trust in each other and in their relations in thecommunity and form mutually supportive relationships (Pipher, 1996; Swick, 2000) in ECE
settings can have a lasting impact.
As explained by a state education official, early ed programs often function as a feeder to aschool, yet there is often lack of continuity in referrals, assessments and academic supports
to allow for seamless transitions for families with children experiencing homelessness. The
ECE community reinforced this message in focus groups and interviews, making a strong casefor prioritizing ECE services as early as possible to address the pervasive nature of inequality
broadly and homelessness specifically. There is a desire from the ECE community to do more toaddress the growing crisis. An early childhood executive explained further.
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37

“We are usually the first connection that homeless families have to schools. If wewait until kindergarten, in some instances, it is too late to get needed services tochildren. There’s a lot more we can do.
Too few of our youngest children experiencing homelessness in California are receiving thebenefits of being enrolled in a high-quality early childhood program. In fact, only 8% of young
children experiencing homelessness are served by federally funded ECE programs, including
Early Head Start, Head Start, or other ECE programs funded by the McKinney–Vento Act, andonly 6% in California (Administration for Children & Families, 2017). Several underlying factors
can explain low-participation rates in ECE services for families experiencing homelessness.
Those include limited outreach to families experiencing homelessness before children enter
public schools, a lack of understanding of the child care subsidy system, inadequate training
available for early childhood teachers and providers, and a lack of available space in earlychildhood programs (California Department of Education, 2019a).
Head Start, a federal anti-poverty program, serves 20% of all California students enrolled inpreschool (Table 6). However, the federal program does not have dedicated ECE funding tosupport the delivery of educational services for all children experiencing homelessness as
defined by MVA. Head Start programs however, are permitted under the federal guidelines
to dedicate resources for families impacted by homelessness. They are also encouraged tocollaborate with McKinney‐Vento State Coordinators of Education of Homeless Children andYouth and Local Education Liaisons to ensure they have information on the full range of childcare services available.
Table 6. Summary of Services Provided by Head Start CA, (Program Information Report (PIR),
State Summary by Office of Head Start (OHS), 2018)
Summary of Services Provided by Head Start CAChildren Experiencing Homelessness That
Were Served During the Enrollment Year

4,048

Families Experiencing Homelessness That
Were Served During the Enrollment Year

999

One First5 early learning representative in the Bay area described a surging need foraffordable childcare and growing housing costs as two drivers accelerating the rate ofhomelessness for young families. Increasingly, young families are struggling to meettheir basic needs, like getting access to diapers, food, clothes, and shelter. This same
representative cited the example of “long lines of families waiting in the rain for one
package of diapers at 7 a.m. on a Saturday” to reinforce the point that families needadditional assistance to secure basic needs. Additionally, families that do qualify
for subsidized childcare in some instances are struggling to find childcare locally.
Demand for quality childcare options far exceeds supply (First5 Alameda, 2019).
Lack of access to affordable childcare constrains the ability of parents to both seek
employment and maintain stable jobs while raising young children. Access to quality
childcare opportunities and early childhood education programs for young children isessential for working families pursuing upward economic and social mobility.

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The Higher Education Community
1 in 5 California Community College (Wood et al., 2016), 1 in 10 California State University (CSU)(Crutchfield et al., 2016) and 1 in 20 UC students (University of California, 2017) experience
homelessness. In the California State University (CSU) system, Black students represent thehighest number of students with low food security (25%) and very low food security (40.9%)(Crutchfield & Maguire 2018, p. 20). Also, Black students (14%) experience homelessness at ahigher rate than other racial and ethnic groups (9.8-11.5%) (Crutchfield & Maguire 2018, p.22)
which is different from K-12 settings where Latinx students represent a majority of students
experiencing homelessness (70%).
Table 7. Percentage of Students Experiencing Homelessness by Race in UC and CSU schools, 2018-2019*

1 in 5

California Community
College,

1 in 10

California State University(CSU), and

1 in 20

UC students experience
homelessness in a
postsecondary setting.

Latinx

Black

Asian

AmericanIndianWhite

Pacific
Islander

Other

Total

University ofCalifornia

4%

9%

3%

7%

4%

-

4%

4%

California State
University

10%

14%

10%

52%

12%

10%

11%

11%

Note. UC homelessness data was unavailable for Pacific Islander students. Adapted from 2018 University of California
Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) Data Tables, 2018.
CSU homelessness data were retrieved from California State University’s 2018 Study of Student Basic Needs, 2018.

During the 2018 school year, University of California results from undergraduate andgraduate surveys on food insecurity and housing needs reported that 2,260 students acrossall UC’s experienced homelessness (Table 7). Students who identified as Black experienced
homelessness at higher rates than other racial group. Additionally, Latinx students had thehighest count of students experiencing homelessness of all student groups.
Homelessness can negatively impact all aspects of college students’ lives, including their classattendance and academic success (Alfano & Eduljee, 2013; Hallett, 2010; Silva et al., 2015;
Crutchfield et al., 2016; Goldrick-Rab et al., 2017). Compared to their peers, college students
experiencing homelessness report lower GPAs (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018), are less likely topersist in their studies (Silva et al., 2015)
and are more likely to drop out (Alfano& Eduljee, 2013; Hallett, 2010). College
students experiencing homelessness
also report poorer physical health, more
symptoms of depression or anxiety, higher
levels of perceived stress, and less accessto adequate and nutritious food than theirpeers (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018). Yet
related issues to student homelessness likefood insecurity often do not begin as soon
as students set foot on a college campus.

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A recent study found that for students with a childhood history of foodinsecurity, the odds of food insecurity in college were 7 times higher
compared to students who were food secure as children (Martinez et al., 2017).
California public higher education systems are taking on greater responsibility to support
students who are struggling to maintain consistent and secure childcare, and access adequate
food and housing in unprecedented ways (Ambrose, 2016). Often, challenges associated withhousing instability can exacerbate the problem of food insecurity (Cady, 2016; Crutchfield et al.,2016; Wood, Harris, & Delgado, 2016). HUD (2015) reported that housing costs alone accountfor 50 percent or more of student expenses at four-year institutions, and over 65% of student
expenses for students at community colleges leaving little remaining resources for educational
expenses.
Similar to K-12 peers, students struggling to meet their basic needs frequently have a difficult
time fully engaging in their postsecondary education (Goldrick-Rab, Broton, & Eisenberg, 2015;
Silva et al., 2017). Some of the key challenges related to homelessness include: balancing accessto food and shelter (Hallett & Freas, 2017), and the social implications of housing instability,
including a sense of isolation and disconnection from other students on campus (Dill & Lee,
2016; Crutchfield, 2012; Crutchfield et al., 2016) which may further discourage students fromseeking out relationships with peers and instructors (Tierney & Hallett, 2012). A recent study
has expanded the idea of student basic needs and its relationship to housing and food security tofocus on hygiene, sleep, transportation and peace of mind (University of California, 2020).
Figure 7. Definition Of College Students’ Basic Needs (University of California, 2020)Student’s Responsibility

Sufficient
healthy food

University’s Responsibility

Safe & secure
housing
Stability (peaceof mind)
Sleep
Transportation
HygieneIn our interviews with campus officials, we learned that many campuses in the California
Community College (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC)systems are responding proactively to the growth in student populations experiencing foodinsecurity, homelessness or other related basic needs challenges. Fresno State University is oneof 23 CSU campuses that have efforts in place to remove barriers for students struggling tohave their basic needs met, including many who are homeless or negatively affected by housing
challenges. Those services include either a food pantry or a food distribution program or both.
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CSU Fresno officials have not only opened “the student cupboard” on campus to make foodavailable, but also “the closet,” making it possible for students interviewing for jobs to haveaccess to professional work attire. Local donations from businesses and philanthropies havehelped to sustain these efforts to meet basic student needs.
The California Homeless Youth Project (2020) examined basic needs resources available tocollege students across all 23 CSU campuses, 9 UCs and 50 of the 116 California Community
Colleges. Those basic needs include emergency housing, programs targeting students
experiencing housing insecurity, programs targeting foster youth, free groceries, free prepared
meals, on-campus CalFresh application assistance, emergency grants, and short-term loans. The
services are extensive, but need continues to outpace available resources for college students
experiencing homelessness. This point was made in a recent study looking at basic needs andhousing instability across the UC system finds that “University basic needs are essential andshould be expanded and strengthen to make services more easily accessible” (University ofCalifornia, 2020).
State law requires higher education homeless liaisons to be identified for each college campus,
as well as housing authorities for students experiencing homelessness. The homelessness crisis isprompting postsecondary partners to assemble small teams, including liaisons, to manage the
distribution of resources and services, including opening up space for temporary housing bothon and off-campus.

Some of those efforts have been accelerated by an annual state $19 million allocation
to California’s three public post-secondary systems to be used to support rapid
rehousing efforts that assist homeless and housing insecure college students.[5]The state also made a one-time $15 million investment to support basic needs
partnerships[6] in the CSU to support the following strategies:• Address student hunger• Leverage more sustainable solutions to address basic needs on campus• Raise awareness of services currently offered on campus that address basic needs• Develop formal practices and procedures• Continue to build strategic partnerships with community/statewide partners andCSU campuses
No funding was allocated for basic needs at the CCC or CSU systems for the 2020-2021
state budget. However, UC has an ongoing budget allocation for basic needs.

[5] A factsheet about the college-focused rapid rehousing state investment spearheaded by John Burton Advocates canbe found at https://www.jbaforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/AB-74-Fact-Sheet-FINAL.pdf[6] More information on AB 74 and Basic Needs Partnerships can be found at https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-ofthe-csu/student-success/basic-needs-initiative/Pages/basic-needs-partnership-rfp.aspx#:~:text=The%20Basic%20
Needs%20Partnerships%20Request,services%20for%20students%20in%20need.

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“

A summary of state allocations in recent years can be found in Table 8. Recently, over 700
stakeholders, including over 100 students from all three public higher education segments
across the state, convened in a conference and formed a new partnership known as theCalifornia Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance (CHEBNA). The partnership has been in
operation for several years now, allowing California’s higher education segments to share bestpractices and resources more consistently and to coordinate around strategies for “addressing
student wellbeing, including basic needs insecurities.” CHEBNA started as a conversation
around measurement of basic needs and food insecurity. It has evolved as a collaborative to be
more intentional about addressing housing insecurity and homelessness as an interrelated set ofissues. One university official explained the value of the collaboration.

While you do have some campus specificities, you have some regional differences,
you have some political differences in the different environments, there is thecommonality, which is the notion that we I think have just begun to understandthe real depth and breadth of the issue. That’s partly because we’ve become moreaware of the kinds of efforts that each of us are doing.
Table 8. State Investments in Student Basic Needs (Forthcoming Report, John Burton
Advocates for Youth, 2020)“

California Community
Colleges (CCC)

California State
University (CSU)

University ofCalifornia (UC)2017/2018$2.5 million$2.5 million$2.5 million

2018/2019$10 million$1.5 million$1.5 million

2019/2020$3.9 million$15 million$15 million (ongoing)

2020/2021

None

None

$15 million

As important as it is to bring about greater coordinationin service delivery to students experiencing
homelessness, educators must also be able to address
other challenges to student wellbeing and engagement toensure that these students can make academic progress,
and ultimately graduate (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2019).
One university official stressed this point:

I would like to elevate the conversation in oursystem to more of a concept of continuity,
retention, persistence, graduation, and how to
do that.

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Key Findings42

“

Although this broadening focus on student basic needs and housing represents a significant
expansion in the mission of most colleges and four-year campuses, many higher education
partners are embracing this challenge because they understand they can play a critical rolein bringing vital resources to students. For three of the students we interviewed, college was
the first time they had access to consistent support and stable housing. However, challenges
still exist on many campuses to broaden student awareness of available services. For example,
Jazmin, a business major, explained:

When I came to college, I was connected to a pantry on campus. When I didn’t
have food, when I was facing food insecurity, I was connected with that. And
then I was connected with Guardian Scholars as well. But it wasn’t until after I
was already in the program I found out that they did the housing, but most of thework, I would say, and the resources that I found were by myself.
JAZMIN, 20
Jazmin, a current undergraduate student
at a CSU campus in southern California,
highlights the necessity for California higher
education systems to identify liaisons on
every campus who can distribute meal cards
for campus meals and coordinate institutional
aid for covering student housing deposits.
They can also facilitate early connections tolocal high school districts to identify students
in need and provide academic, social, andemotional support to facilitate more seamless
transitions for incoming students who areexperiencing homelessness. One cannot
presume that students like Jazmin will beable to access all of the campus resources
available to them without structure andguidance. However, with efforts like CHEBNA
and new state investments like the collegefocused rapid rehousing effort and basic needs
efforts, the higher education community ismodeling new ways that college students
experiencing homelessness can get resourcesthat will minimize potential hurdles to degreecompletion.

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43

IV

Student
Perspectives

Student perspectives are essential to reaching a better understanding of how
students facing housing instability navigate essential social services available
through school systems. We interviewed thirteen students over the age of 18 who
had experienced homelessness during their K-12 experience or in college. Half ofthe students we interviewed were identified by school districts, and the other half
were from community drop-in centers. Findings from these interviews further
reveal the challenges educators in our focus groups mentioned, such as the needfor more dedicated staff and more focused training on identifying students
experiencing homelessness. For example, several students said that the services
and support provided by their schools had helped to improve their experience inschool and outside of school. However, this was not the case for the majority ofthe students, who did not recall having access to targeted educational resourcesin their schooling.

A lack of early mentorship and stability can fuel a sense of
distrust and isolation.

SharedExperiences& Educational
Patterns
Consistent with existing research,our data indicate that homelessness
is not uniformly experienced (Miller,
201; Samuels et al., 2019; Edwards,2020)—young people come froma wide array of backgrounds andliving conditions—each of whichhas particular implications forthe students’ broader education
opportunities. Student interviews,
diverse as they were, can help informthe development of services andsupports that are currently lacking.

Students reported struggling to identify influential mentors and caretakers,
starting from an early age. While some youth have been able to begin forging
stronger relationships as adults, many indicated ongoing challenges infinding people who they could trust and ask for advice and help. Students
also gave examples of the consequences of not having mentors who could
understand and identify with their circumstances. The lack of strong bonds
fueled student feelings of isolation and hampered their ability to engage fullyin the learning experience.

Adverse life experiences have changed the educational andemployment trajectory of students (e.g. death in family,
abuse, traumatic life events, loss of school equipment,
job loss).
Students shared examples of how a series of “critical conditions” such as thedeath of a primary caretaker, sibling or parent, abuse from a family member,
job loss or essential item in their life (i.e., computer for college classes),
profoundly impacted their ability to live healthy, stable, productive lives. In
some instances, a series of circumstances and challenges deterred students
from pursuing their educational interests (Samuels et al., 2019). October, ayouth from Northern California, shared her struggles in balancing her job
and school demands.

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45

“

I have to work, and I couldn’t be at school on time.
There’s days where I just couldn’t get to work. I
mean, I couldn’t get to school and really was justsitting in the classroom relearning everything I’ve
already learned and just having to go through thatand deal with the immaturity of other students andnot having the understanding of the other studentsof the situation I’m in. Teachers didn’t understandeither. There wasn’t that... like they knew, but they
couldn’t fully grasp it, and they didn’t really seem toaccept it [homelessness] as real.
OCTOBER, 18

October worked to help sustain her educational and living expenses, anddescribed that her peers and teachers sometimes did not understandher situation. Her experience parallels the challenges also mentioned byeducators in the earlier sections, in that teachers and school officials often
lack training and know-how to support students experiencing homelessness.
Equipping educators with these empathetic skills would include preparing
them to prevent bullying or unhealthy learning conditions that can result
from peers failing to understand their challenging circumstances.

Students experiencing homelessness often lack the supports
they need to fully engage in learning, which range from basic
needs to emotional and physical safety.
Young people seeking services at homeless drop-in centers struggled to
identify trusted adults in their life. They shared common challenges around
meeting their basic needs, including obtaining a predictable income, adequate
housing, and clean clothes and food. Students also shared stories of traveling
great distances just to have their basic needs met. One young man said thathe travels 90 minutes on public transportation several times a week to a Los
Angeles area drop-in center to obtain food, clothing, and other social services.
Another student shared that he chooses to stay in a community with fewer
readily available resources for homeless youth that is safer than an area whereservices are more readily available. Young people under the age of 18 often facedifficult choices, such as having to decide if they want to stay with their family
in unstable conditions or separate from family and move to more permanentliving situations that may not allow for families.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Student Perspectives

46

Students cannot access the type of educational support
they need.

Educational
Flexibility &SupportInterviews revealed many examples
of students struggling within
traditional academic settings,
despite being highly intelligent,creative, independent, and socially
adaptive in the face of highly
adverse conditions (Reed-Victor& Stronge, 2002). Young people
are eager for better educational
opportunities and jobs, but often
lack the resources to change theirtrajectories. Furthermore, current
educational structures (e.g., school
hours, student self-identification
for services, and the fragmented
nature of service delivery) canpresent barriers to improving
the living conditions of students
experiencing poverty.

It was difficult for many of the students who were interviewed for this reportto highlight how educators or school systems have supported their academic
development or social and emotional well-being. One student explained how
he felt like he was just “passing through” the school system, changing schools
every six months. He described a need for students impacted by homelessness
to have a clearer path to services.

“

Make it more easily accessible for youth to acquire
services that benefit them in their life and maybe
make it also easier for them to see that there’s
resources. From my position, my perspective,
there’s no real access to resources that you canreally call upon and say, ‘Hey, I need some help.’
CORY, 20

Despite this common challenge among many of the students we interviewed,
some shared examples of strong relationships with schools and educators. For
example, Rosie, a current undergraduate student at a CSU campus in northern
California shared,“

There’s a couple of women that I’ve met out therethat have been basically my counselors. I feel likethat [organization skills] was something that I
learned with their help when I was a senior, likegetting yourself organized and how to budget yourmoney. When you get to college, it’s the stuff thatyou don’t learn, but you should know. And so I justreally thank her for that because I feel like I wouldn’t
be succeeding in college without that type of help.
ROSIE, 20

For many students like Rosie, high school educators played a critical role inhelping to prepare her for college. One Los Angeles area liaison also sharedthat he drove a student to UC Merced for student move-in day because theyoung person did not have parents to join him. Stories like these are consistent
with those of other students we interviewed who were also connected torobust social services networks and access to adults who could support
their educational well-being. Once someone or a team of educators invests instudents’ educational success, great things can happen.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Student Perspectives

47

The dynamic nature of highly mobile students in and out of
the foster care system, and moving across localities and evenstates, requires more flexible and well-coordinated education
opportunities (e.g., credit recovery, remediation).
Students experiencing homelessness face unique challenges because they
are an unusually mobile population. Transportation and logistics around
getting to school is just one of the challenges. They also face difficulties withcredit transfers and missing days of school due to instability and mobility
challenges. Sometimes appropriate student placement is complicated by aninconsistent or missing academic record by which to assess their knowledge
and skill levels. Scholarship on evidence-based education models foreducating students experiencing homelessness recommends that schools
must allow for flexible schooling experiences and require schools to better
structure schedules, coursework, and social organization to better serve
unhoused student populations (Murphy & Tobin, 2011, Quint, 1994). In
2014, the California State Assembly adopted Bill 1806[7] to provide flexibility
in credit accrual for students experiencing homelessness. However, thechallenge still lies with having a consistent implementation strategy
across schools. This issue is real for many students who experience housing
instability since many will move schools, crossing districts, and sometimes
states. In our student interviews, we learned it was common for students
to attend various schools during their academic journeys. Ciara’s narrative
illustrates the experience of highly mobile students. She started moving
schools as early as sixth grade up until her senior year in high school.

“

My grades fluctuate because they always pull meout of school and put me in a different school andpull me out again and put me in this school. I went tothree different high schools, just for a my Sophomore
year. It was pretty hard to bounce everything backto where I could graduate or anything. I didn’t get
to walk the stage. I still got my diploma [GED], but I
didn’t walk the stage.
CIARA, 18

This vignette illustrates the importance of having consistent and flexible
credit accrual practices to better support highly mobile students. That
flexibility can relieve students from worry about whether pauses in theireducational trajectory will negatively impact their learning progress.

[7] AB-1806 Pupil services: Homeless children or youth. (2014). Retrieved June 10, 2020, fromhttps://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB1806

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Student Perspectives

48

V

Portrait ofCalifornia’s K-12
Homeless Student
Population

In addition to conducting interviews and focus groups with key education
stakeholders and students to inform this study, we developed an interactive
map, to display statewide data for homeless students enrolled in California
K-12 schools.[8] In the interactive map, we identified school suspension rates,
chronic absenteeism[9] rates, graduation rates, and UC/CSU readiness rates
as key indicators of student learning. Annual cumulative enrollment data
for the 2018-2019 school year reveals that approximately 269,000 students
experienced homelessness, making up 17.9% of all 1.5 million students
experiencing homelessness in the nation (2019).[10]The following analyses use the California Department of Education 2018-2019 data overlayed
across the state’s 58 counties to demonstrate demographic patterns among students experiencing
homelessness. By correlating data for students experiencing homelessness with non-homelessstudents, we were able to highlight recurring trends in educational outcomes. State, county, anddistrict data were analyzed to create a detailed educational portrait of California’s K-12 homelessstudent population in relationship to various peer groups and geographies. Results from thisanalysis reveal two things: first, the number of students experiencing homelessness continues torise, and second, adverse educational outcomes persist.

CDE data reveals that negativeeducational outcomes,
including higher suspension
rates (Figure 9), higher rates ofchronic absenteeism (Figure10), lower graduation rates(Figure 11) and lower CSU/UC
readiness rates (Figure 12), arecommon among homelessstudents, regardless of
ethnic/racial identity.

Figure 8. Student Educational Outcomes for California, 2018-2019*

Suspension
Rates

Chronic
Absenteeism

Graduation
Rates

UC/CSU
Readiness

3%

12%

86%

52%

6%

25%

70%

29%

Non-Homeless Rate
Homeless Rate

Non-Homeless Rate
Homeless Rate

Non-Homeless Rate
Homeless Rate

Non-Homeless Rate
Homeless Rate

[8] The homeless student data displayed for California and its 58 counties was compiled from DataQuest, the California Department of Education’s (CDE)
web-based data reporting tool, for the 2018-2019 school year and is disaggregated by race and ethnicity.
[9] The CDE determines students to be chronically absent if they were eligible to be considered chronically absent at the selected level during theacademic year and they were absent for 10% or more of the days they were expected to attend.
[10] The annual cumulative enrollment, discipline, and chronic absentee data are are submitted and certified by Local Education Agencies (LEAs) andcharter schools as part of the annual End of Year 3 (EOY 3) submission in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
*Data in the infographic were retrieved from multiple DataQuest reports. Enrollment numbers were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic
Absenteeism Rate under “Cumulative Enrollment”, California Department of Education, 2019d.
Suspension rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Suspension Rate, California Department of Education, 2019c.
Chronic absenteeism rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate, California Department of Education, 2019d.
Graduation data were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, California Department of Education, 2019e.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Portrait of California’s K-12 Homeless Student Population

50

Counties

Similar educational outcomes observed for students experiencing
homelessness at the state level were observable at the county level.
Our analysis of data from the six counties with the largest enrollmentof students experiencing homelessness (which comprise 65% of all
homeless students in California) reveals that students who experienced
homelessness during the 2018-2019 school year were disproportionately
suspended (Figure 9) and chronically absent (Figure 10) at high rates.
They are also graduating at lower rates (Figure 11) and less likely tomeet UC/CSU requirements (Figure 12) than their peers. While data
for each of the 58 counties in California vary, we found similar patterns
in nearly every county. There were five counties in which students
experiencing homelessness displayed more favorable outcomes thanstudents who did not experience homelessness. These exceptions were in
Northern California counties with fewer than 200 students experiencing
homelessness. For example, in Amador County, students experiencing
homelessness displayed lower rates of suspensions, and in Inyo andMono County, students experiencing homelessness had a 0% suspension
rate. Another divergent finding is that Nevada County reported higher
graduation rates for students experiencing homelessness, while only 9%of this group met UC/CSU requirements upon graduation. This data anddata for all 58 counties in California can be further explored using ourinteractive map.
Table 9. California Counties with the Largest Number of Homeless Students,
Homeless Data Snapshot, 2018-2019
CountyEnrollment Suspension(#)(%)

Chronic
Absenteeism(%)

Graduation
Rate (%)

UC/CSU
Requirements
Met (%)

Los Angeles

66,566

3.8

23.8

70.6

38.1

San Bernardino

31,180

6.2

22.6

76.6

27

Orange25,418

4.5

18.2

77

31.4

Riverside

19,675

3.9

24.7

82

33.2

San Diego

20,631

6.2

28.2

57.8

34.6

Sacramento

10,470

11.9

37.5

61.7

17.1

California

269,269

6.3

25

70

29.1

Note. Data on this table were retrieved from multiple DataQuest reports. Enrollment numbers wereretrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate under “Cumulative Enrollment”, California
Department of Education, 2019d.
Suspension rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Suspension Rate, California Department of
Education, 2019c.
Chronic absenteeism rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate, California
Department of Education, 2019d.
Graduation data were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,
California Department of Education, 2019e.

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Portrait of California’s K-12 Homeless Student Population

51

Latinx students make up the
majority of homeless student
enrollment in most counties
with large numbers of students
experiencing homelessness. In
Orange County, 83% of students
experiencing homelessness
were Latinx (Table 10).

Table 10. Ethnic Composition of California Counties with the Largest Number ofHomeless Students, Homeless data Snapshot, 2018-2019
American Pacific
Filipino
Indian Islander

Two ormore
races

CountyBlack

Latina/o

White

Asian

Los Angeles

12%

74%

6%

3%

0.2%

0.4%

1%

2%

San
Bernardino

12%

69%

10%

3%

1%

1%

1%

2%

Orange

2%

83%

7%

4%

0.3%

1%

1%

2%

Riverside

11%

72%

11%

1%

1%

1%

1%

3%

San Diego

9%

70%

10%

2%

1%

1%

3%

5%

Sacramento

24%

37%

22%

4%

1%

1%

1%

9%

California

9%

70%

12%

3%

1%

1%

1%

3%

Note. Enrollment numbers were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate under“Cumulative Enrollment”, California Department of Education, 2019d.

Of the six counties with thehighest number of students
experiencing homelessness,
Los Angeles reported the lowest
suspension rate of 3.8%. This
could be related to the counties
movement away from punitive
suspension models.
In Sacramento county,
students experiencing
homelessness received
suspensions at a rate of
11.9% (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Suspension Rates by County, 2018-2019
14%

7%

11.9%

6.2%
3.8%

4.4%

2.8%

1.9%

0%

Los Angeles

San
Bernardino

6.7%

6.2%

3.8%

5.0%

6.3%
3.3%

2.0%

San Diego

Non-Homeless

4.5%

OrangeRiverside

Sacramento

CA Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Note. Suspension rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Suspension Rate, California Department of
Education, 2019c.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Portrait of California’s K-12 Homeless Student Population52

In 2018-2019, 25% of all
students experiencing
homelessness in California
were chronically absent
compared to 12% of non-homelessstudents (Figure 10).

Figure 10. Chronic Absenteeism Rates by County, 2018-2019
50%
38%

40%
30%
20%

28%

24%
13%

13%

Los Angeles

18%
10%

10%
0%

25%

23%

San
Bernardino

8%

San Diego

Non-HomelessOrange

25%
13%

12%

Riverside

12%

Sacramento

CA Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Note. Chronic absenteeism rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate,
California Department of Education, 2019d.

Of the counties with thehighest counts of homelessstudents, those experiencing
homelessness in San Diego
were the least likely student
group to graduate and had
graduation rates that were themost divergent from their peers(Figure 11).

Figure 11. Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rates by County, 2018-2019
100%

83%

75%

86%
71%

77%

91%

91%

83%

77%

86%

84%

82%

70%

62%

58%

50%
25%
0%

Los Angeles

San
Bernardino

OrangeSan Diego

Non-HomelessRiverside

Sacramento

CA Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Note. Graduation rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation
Rate, California Department of Education, 2019e.

Of the California counties
with the largest number ofhomeless students, San Diego,
Sacramento and Orange
County had the greatest
disparities in the percentage
of students meeting UC/CSU
requirements (Figure 12).

Figure 12. Four-Year Cohort UC/CSU Requirements Met by County, 2018-2019
100%
75%
50%

60%

58%
38%

25%
0%

46%
27%

57%
35%

52%

52%

47%

33%

31%

29%
17%

Los Angeles

San
Bernardino

San Diego

Non-HomelessOrangeRiverside

Sacramento

CA Total

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Note. UC/CSU Requirements Met data were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted
Cohort Graduation Rate, California Department of Education, 2019e.

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Portrait of California’s K-12 Homeless Student Population

53

School
Districts

District enrollment rates
for students experiencing
homelessness reveals wherestudents are located. For
example, roughly 40% of San
Diego County’s students
experiencing homelessness
are located in San Diego
Unified. Additionally,
within San Diego Unified,approximately 8,000 students
or 6% of the student population
were identified as having
experienced homelessness
during the 2018-2019 school year
(Table 11).

Districts with the largest populations of students experiencing
homelessness, as well as selected districts with high proportions ofstudents experiencing homelessness, are identified in this section.
According to district data submitted to the CDE, the ten districts
with the highest cumulative enrollment of students experiencing
homelessness comprise 25% of all homeless students in California(269,269). Nearly 25% of the students enrolled at Santa Maria-Bonita
and Rowland Unified experienced homelessness during the 2018-2019
school year. At Norwalk-La Mirada Unified, 30% of students experienced
homelessness. Los Angeles Unified, the largest district in California,
reported that 18,979 students experienced homelessness during theacademic year (Table 11).
Table 11. Percent of Students Experiencing Homelessness Enrolled at Selected Districts
with High Numbers/Proportions of Homeless Students in California, 2018-2019

District

Homeless
Enrollment

District Total
Enrollment

Percent
Enrollment

Los Angeles Unified

18,979630,838

3.0%

San Diego Unified

8,284

131,706

6.3%

Long Beach Unified

7,251

76,554

9.5%

Santa Ana Unified

6,720

53,235

12.6%

San Bernardino City Unified

5,669

58,412

9.7%

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified

5,417

18,15329.8%

Moreno Valley Unified

4,846

35,375

13.7%

Paradise Unified*

3,307

4,370

75.7%

Rowland Unified

3,620

14,996

24.1%

North Monterey County Unified

1,702

4,858

35.0%

*Paradise Unified data was heavily affected by Butte County’s 2018 Camp Fire.
Note. Enrollment numbers were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate under“Cumulative Enrollment”, California Department of Education, 2019d.

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54

During the 2018-2019 school
year, students experiencing
homelessness had higher
rates of chronic absence
than their peers in thehighlighted districts. Students
experiencing homelessness
in Los Angeles Unified werechronically absent at a rate of
36%, 18% higher than students
who did not experience
homelessness (Table 12).

Table 12. Chronic Absenteeism Rates for Selected Districts with High Numbers/
Proportions of Homeless Students Enrolled in California, 2018-2019
Homeless
Chronic
Absence Rate

Non-Homeless
Chronic Absence
Rate

Difference in(%) Points

Los Angeles Unified

36%

18%

18%

San Diego Unified

29%

11%

18%

Long Beach Unified

25%

14%

11%

Santa Ana Unified

12%

7%

5%

San Bernardino City Unified

25%

18%

7%

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified

12%

9%

3%

Moreno Valley Unified

21%

16%

5%

Paradise Unified*

35%

21%

14%

Rowland Unified

11%

10%

1%

North Monterey County Unified

15%

14%

1%

District*Paradise Unified data was heavily affected by Butte County’s 2018 Camp Fire.
Note. Chronic absenteeism rates were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Chronic Absenteeism Rate,
California Department of Education, 2019d.

During the 2018-2019 school
year, only 66% of students
experiencing homelessness
in Los Angeles Unified
graduated in four years.
From the school districts we
examined, Norwalk-La Mirada,
Moreno Valley, and North
Monterey County Unified
reported higher graduation
rates than the state for students
experiencing homelessness(Table 13).

Table 13. Graduation Rate for Selected Districts with High Numbers/Proportions ofHomeless Students Enrolled in California, 2018-2019

Homeless
Graduation Rate

Non-HomelessGraduation
Rate

Difference in(%) Points

Los Angeles Unified

66%

82%

16%

San Diego Unified

72%

86%

14%

Long Beach Unified

78%

88%

10%

Santa Ana Unified

80%

90%

10%

San Bernardino City Unified

81%

84%

3%

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified

89%

93%

4%

Moreno Valley Unified

90%

92%

2%

Paradise Unified

85%

46%

-39%

Rowland Unified

84%

87%

3%

North Monterey County Unified

91%

88%

-2%

District*Paradise Unified data was heavily affected by Butte County’s 2018 Camp Fire.
Note. UC/CSU Requirements Met data were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted Cohort
Graduation Rate, California Department of Education, 2019e.

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55

For the 2018-2019 school year,
students experiencing
homelessness had
significantly lower ratesof UC/CSU readiness rates(Table 14). Graduating seniors
at Long Beach Unified and San
Diego Unified had a 24% gap in
UC/CSU readiness compared totheir peers. Smaller gaps can beseen in Moreno Valley Unified
where students experiencing
homelessness graduated at 40%,
only 2% lower than their nonhomeless peers.

Table 14. UC/CSU Requirements Met for Selected Districts with High Numbers/
Proportions of Homeless Students Enrolled in California, 2018-2019

District

Homeless
UC/CSU
Reqs Met

Non-Homeless
UC/CSU
Reqs Met

Difference in(%) Points

Los Angeles Unified

50%

64%

14%

San Diego Unified

50%

72%

22%

Long Beach Unified

37%

59%

22%

Santa Ana Unified

35%

48%

13%

San Bernardino City Unified

26%

37%

11%

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified

40%

49%

9%

Moreno Valley Unified

40%

42%

2%

Paradise Unified

20%

19%

-1%

Rowland Unified

34%

43%

9%

North Monterey County Unified

33%

41%

8%

Note. UC/CSU Requirements Met data were retrieved from DataQuest 2018-19 Four-Year Adjusted Cohort
Graduation Rate, California Department of Education, 2019e.

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56

Summary

Striking educational differences among students experiencing
homelessness are prevalent across race and geography. Thisconsistent underperformance calls for policymakers at all levelsof government to consider these factors when prioritizing the
distribution of resources.
Examination of educational performance (graduation, college readiness) and school
climate indicators (e.g., chronic absenteeism, suspensions) for students experiencing
homelessness across the state reveals that students of every racial and ethnic groupare struggling academically compared to their non-homeless peers. Black, American
Indian, and White students experiencing homelessness have a 19% higher rate inchronic absence rates compared to students who did not experience homelessness(Figure 4). When comparing student graduation rates, a 14% gap exists for Black
students and a 19% gap for White students experiencing homelessness (Figure 5).
There is an 18% gap in college readiness for Black students experiencing homelessness,
and a 31% gap for White students experiencing homelessness statewide (Figure 6).
Of the counties serving the highest proportion of students experiencing homelessness,
Sacramento County (25%) and San Diego County (18%) have the most pronounced
differences in chronic absenteeism rates. San Diego County students experiencing
homelessness (25%) and Sacramento County (22%) have the lowest graduation rates
compared to their peers in other counties. Sacramento County (30%), San Diego
County (25%), and Orange County (26%) have the largest gaps in college readinessrates between students experiencing homelessness and their peers.
Paradise Unified School District (75.7%) and North Monterey County Unified School
District (35%) serve a higher proportion of students experiencing homelessness
than any other districts in the state (Table 11). The devastation caused by the2018 Camp Fire in Butte County can begin to explain Paradise Unified District’s
high rates of homelessness, as many families are still unhoused as a direct resultof the fire. Los Angeles Unified School District (18%) and San Diego Unified School
District (18%) have the most significant gaps in chronic absence between students
experiencing homelessness and their peers (Table 12). Graduation rates (Table 13)
are comparatively lower for Los Angeles Unified School District (16%) and San Diego
Unified School District (14%) among students experiencing homelessness, and college
readiness rates (Table 14) for students experiencing homelessness in Long Beach
Unified (24%) and San Diego Unified School District (24%).

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57

FutureResearch &Considerations

Findings from this study largely mirror those of Piazza & Hyatt (2019a)
who surveyed over 692 representatives of K-12 school districts, including
547 McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons, reflecting responses from 35%
of all K-12 liaisons across California. The authors of that study identified
similar patterns around challenges related to identifying students forservices, inadequate capacity to support a growing number of students
experiencing homelessness and a desire for more dedicated resources.
The conclusions for this study were informed by focus groups andinterviews with over 155 key stakeholders (see Appendix A: Research
Methods), many of whom support the academic success of students
experiencing homelessness, including a small sample of county
McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons and their counterparts school
districts. Future research consideration for philanthropic, private,
corporate, state and federal partners are identified below:
1. Limited research currently exists that documents evidence-based strategies foreducators and practitioners, including homeless liaisons who devote their work
to eliminating educational barriers for students experiencing homelessness. The
Center for the Transformation of Schools at UCLA plans to build upon some of
the key findings from this report to begin documenting promising models fromearly education to higher education that can help strengthen schoolwide, campus
and community practices for students experiencing homelessness. Many of theseapproaches will take into consideration how education, housing and child welfare
agencies are working in coordination and how districts are leveraging multiple
funding sources, including the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to accelerate
educational success for students experiencing homelessness.
2. Homelessness impacts Latinx (70%) and Black (9%) students disproportionately andthe intersection of poor educational outcomes and homelessness present within
schools cannot be overlooked (Moore et al., 2019). There is a need for more researchthat documents practices and policies that deliberately focus on changing the
educational trajectory of students of color experiencing homelessness. California
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) provides a framework for rethinking
universal and targeted supports for altering historic patterns of education
inequality. However, MTSS is a strategy that hasn’t been explored through research
as a means to improve academic outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.
3. There is a need for future scholarship that explores the impact of the McKinneyVento Act on state educational outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.
We determined that the federal McKinney-Vento Act is not reaching 2 out of 3
California experiencing homelessness due to limited federal investments, suggesting
the importance of future research that explores policies that prioritize the successof students experiencing homelessness.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Portrait of California’s K-12 Homeless Student Population

58

4. Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) for all 1,037 districts, 58 county
offices of education and 1,306 charter schools present another opportunity forfurther analysis to learn more about the types of strategies, interventions anduse of resources to promote the educational success of students experiencing
homelessness. While the Center for the Transformation of Schools research team
did not review LCAPs for this study, we see value in future research that discerns
patterns in the strategic use of Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) resources
and how they align to charter, district and county equity schools.
We are hopeful future research from the Center and scholars across the country
will continue to shape policy priorities for local, state and federal policymakers andpractices for educators committed to supporting students experiencing homelessness.
The next section of this report begins to identify policy levers worthy of consideration
for lawmakers at all level of government based on our report findings.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

59

VI

PolicyImplications

As was the case concerning the Camp Fire disaster,
many of the public policy challenges that existed
before the onset of the COVID-19 public health crisis
are likely to be exacerbated in its aftermath. Althoughemergency funds continue to be offered by the federal
government, a lack of understanding of the nuanced
ways in which students experience homelessness andhousing insecurity presents an ongoing challenge.
To better support children and families experiencing
homelessness, aggressive policy initiatives will need
to be enacted to reduce the educational, social, andhealth disparities likely to be exacerbated by the
pandemic.
We draw connections to key findings from the reportand explain how they can be used to inform thedevelopment of public policies. Policymakers at eachlevel of government have distinct responsibilities toaddress historical patterns of inequality. They mustalso create greater coordination in the delivery ofservices to address the growing crisis of student
homelessness.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

61

School
District
Policies• Ensure that district resources for students experiencing homelessness
are aligned with Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) goals, taking into
account the likely number of students experiencing homelessness andtheir needs.
• Encourage the development and sharing of common district-wide
strategies for identifying and serving students experiencing homelessness
so that responsibility for doing so does not fall solely upon the homelessliaison. This information sharing could help elevate strategies in place that
districts may not know about. Additionally, prioritizing site-based liaisons
can help eliminate school barriers to learning.
• Adopt a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework to organize
schools around the needs and learning interests of students experiencing
homelessness. Reduce suspensions that disproportionately impact
unhoused students and students of color, and embrace alternative
strategies to punitive discipline approaches.

Cities &CountyPolicies• Work between school districts, city and county agencies to provide
and coordinate access to resources to support students and families
experiencing homelessness (e.g., affordable housing, neighborhood safety,
reliable public transportation, and access to job training).
• Encourage the support of development for after-school programmingand community services from businesses, faith-based organizations, andnonprofits.
• Improve coordination across city departments to ensure more
efficient service delivery and access to basic needs in neighborhoods
disproportionately impacted by housing instability.
• Focus on improving access toaffordable housing options
for young people and families,
including college age students.
• Establish city-led efforts that
focus more deliberately on
K-12 and college level rapid
rehousing partnerships thatmeet student basic needs
and address housing security
challenges early for young people.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Policy Implications

62

StatePolicies• Provide more targeted funding to augment Local Control Funding Formula(LCFF) in counties and districts that have the highest concentration ofhomelessness, as identified in the CTS state map on student homelessness.
• Continue to invest in data systems like the Cradle to Career longitudinal
data system and standard procedures for identifying and tracking the
educational progress and health of students experiencing homelessness,from birth to employment.
• Increase access to high-quality early education programs as afoundational strategy for targeting resources and services for young
children and families.
• Expand investments in the college-focused rapid rehousing and basic
needs efforts to reach more CCC, CSU and UC campuses that are being
impacted by the student homelessness crisis.

Federal
Policies

Establish a standard definition for student homelessness toimprove the identification of young people for targeted supportand resources to eliminate confusion that multiple definitions
create for educators and school systems.
• Adequately fund the McKinney Vento Act (MVA) to allow for federal resources
to be directed to the state and local systems at a much larger scale tosupport homeless student success and to address the student homelessness
crisis across states. Currently, 2 out of 3 students experiencing homelessness
in California are not being reached by MVA dollars due to limited federal
funding.

2 out
of 3

students experiencing
homelessness in California
attend schools that receive
no dedicated MVA funding.

• Expand funding for full-service community schools to support primary
health, mental health, and dental care in schools. Adopt educational models
that invest in young people before and after school.
• Incentivize state efforts through federal funding streams that strengthen
coordination between early childhood education, colleges, housing,
employment, and homelessness services providers as part of a whole-family
approach to improve both child and family outcomes.
• Increase financial aid packages to cover the total cost of attendance for lowincome students, including students experiencing homelessness, who often
have to cover the majority of the cost of attendance out of pocket.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Policy Implications

63

VII

ConclusionOur aim in producing this report is to help policymakers
and education system leaders to better understand thesystemic and social obstacles that adversely impact students
experiencing homelessness. We plan to follow-up this reportby documenting promising, evidence-based models andpractices statewide that have shown healthy academic
outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.
Although California is one of the wealthiest
states in the nation, significant challenges
remain for its large and growing homelesspopulation. California remains profoundly
economically, socially, and racially stratified(Bohn & Danielson, 2016). Such social
stratification contributes substantially tothe difficulties of serving this vulnerable
population. Interviews with educators,
service providers, and homeless students
themselves have shown how school and higher
education systems (e.g., early education, K-12,
postsecondary) are responding to the growing
crisis of student homelessness and the natureof obstacles that thwart their progress.
Examining the available empirical data
makes clear that the problems experienced byhomeless students are more pronounced in
California than in any other state (HUD, 2016).
Broader awareness about the unique needsof the population of students experiencing
homelessness can help improve educational
outcomes. Each segment of the education
community (early education, K-12, higher
education) should adopt a targeted,coordinated strategy, along with a coherent
plan for students as they transition along the
education pipeline. Local, state and federal
lawmakers should act aggressively to address
the alarming rates of food insecurity and gaps
in basic needs as part of a comprehensive
response to homelessness. The COVID-19
public health crisis has led to heightenedawareness about the critical role schools playin providing valuable resources such as foodand shelter to vulnerable populations.
As schools reopen, they will face an increased
need for improved coordination of services
for homeless students. Families that werealready on the brink of financial andhousing insecurity may become eligible forhomelessness assistance due to COVID-19.
Schools and higher education institutions
play a pivotal role in bringing services,
resources, and academic support to students
to improve their ability to get educated, findemployment and improve their quality oflife. Student homelessness is a problem thatcannot be solved by educational institutions
alone. However, with greater focus, California’s
education sector can profoundly change theacademic trajectory of students experiencing
homelessness. Key decision-makers from thepublic and private sector, including students,
educators and lawmakers must be part of thesolution to make the best use of increasingly
limited resources to address a growing
challenge.
We hope that by drawing attention to theperspectives of educators and service providers
on the front lines, we can bring greater publicawareness to this problem. By highlighting
the perspectives of students who experience
homelessness, this report can potentiallycatalyze sustained and strategic action among
policymakers, educators, and concerned
citizens to ameliorate this growing crisis.

Appropriate Citation: Bishop, J.P., Camargo Gonzalez, L., Rivera, E. (2020). State of Crisis:
Dismantling Student Homelessness in California. Center for the Transformation of Schools,
School of Education & Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Conclusion

65

VIII

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Retrieved from: https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ca
Van Eck, K., Johnson, S. R., Bettencourt, A., & Johnson, S. L. (2017). How school climate relates to chronic absence: A
multi–level latent profile analysis. Journal of School Psychology, 61, 89-102.
Wood, J. L., Harris III, F., & Delgado, N. R. (2016). Struggling to survive—Striving to succeed: Food and housing
insecurities in community college. San Diego, CA: Community College Equity Assessment Lab. Retrieved fromhttps://cceal.org/food-housing-report
Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., Brooks-Gunn, J., Burchinal, M., Espinosa, L., Gormley, W. T., Ludwig, J., Magnuson, K.,
Phillips, D., & Zaslow, M (October, 2013) “Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool,” Society for
Research in Child Development, Washington, D.C.
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Immigrant Populations. The Wiley Handbook of Educational Policy, 307.

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References

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Appendix A

Research
Methods

Empirical data collected for this landscape report includes two large
focus groups, individual student interviews, and one-on-one interviews
with partners in Early childhood, Higher Education, and Nonprofit
organizations. Data for K-12 homeless student enrollment was synthesized
and analyzed from Data Quest, which is compiled by the California
Department of Education.

Summary ofParticipants(N=155)Focus Group participants: 119[e.g., Nonprofit Organizations, Service Providers, Foundation Organizations, State
Agency Partners, McKinney-Vento Liaisons, K-12 school staff, K-12 school educators,
K-12 District and County Partners, Higher Education partners]
Student Interviews: 13
Interviews with Nonprofit Organizations: 4Interviews with Higher Education: 8
Interviews with Early Childhood Partners: 7
Interviews with leaders in the CA Department of Education: 4

Focus Groups

Key stakeholders representing a range of organizations from early childcare to higher
education agencies were convened to reflect on the challenges and barriers they facewhen trying to better support students and families experiencing homelessness.

Student
Interviews

The research team conducted thirteen one-on-one interviews with students over
the age of 18 from across the state who have experienced homelessness and housing
instability. With the support of colleagues in CDE, local K-12 district offices, andcommunity stakeholders, we were able to interview a total of thirteen students. We
asked students to share their experiences with homelessness and housing instability
while in school, either in K-12 and/or in Higher Education.

Interviews with
Educators, Services
Providers, andNonprofit Organizations

A total of 19 individual interviews were conducted with additional educators andservices providers. In our focus groups, we had a majority of K-12 educators andschool officials. Therefore we conducted individual interviews with additional earlychildhood, higher education, and nonprofit stakeholders.

Empirical Data
Analysis

Data collected from the focus groups and the interviews were analyzed by the
research team using Dedoose, a qualitative data analysis software. We conducted
a two-cycle coding analysis (Saldaña, 2015), using In Vivo and Focused codes togenerate the findings of this report. Also, after each focus group, we held review
sessions where participants provided feedback on preliminary findings.

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Research Methods74About California Department of Education Data
Data collection begins at the school and LEA level. Each LEA has alocal liaison for homeless education who is responsible for ensuring
the identification of homeless students through coordinated activities
with other school personnel and community agencies. The liaison is
also responsible for working with the LEA’s data staff and the State
Coordinator to ensure the LEA provides accurate data that meets therequired elements outlined by the Secretary of Education.
California K-12
Homeless Student
Enrollment Data

The homeless student data presented in section five was was compiled from
DataQuest, the California Department of Education’s (CDE) web-based datareporting tool. These data are submitted and certified by Local Education Agencies(LEAs) and charter schools as part of the annual End of Year 3 (EOY 3) submission
in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). We
analyzed K-12 homeless student enrollment data for the 2018-2019 academic year anddisaggregated by race and ethnicity. We used the data descriptors used by CDE [e.g.,enrollment rates, suspension rates].

Enrollment Rates

This report displays the annual cumulative K-12 public school enrollment by student
ethnicity and grade level for the selected report level (state and county) and year.
At the time of collection, cumulative enrollment was retrieved from DataQuest’s“Chronic Absenteeism Rate” data report under the “Cumulative Enrollment” column
disaggregated by program subgroup “Homeless” and filtered by “Yes” for students
experiencing homelessness and “No” for non-homeless students (CDE, 2019d).
Although no specific cumulative enrollment report exists on DataQuest at the present
time, the CDE recently posted cumulative enrollment downloadable files at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/sd/filesenrcum.asp.

Suspension Rates

Suspension rates were used as the primary indicator for discipline. Suspension
calculations include both in-school and out-of-school suspensions in the numerator,
and the denominator is determined by cumulative enrollment of all students enrolled
at a school during the school year at the selected entity for the selected population
using the available filters. The program subgroup was set to “Homeless” and filteredby “Yes” for students experiencing homelessness and “No” for non-homeless students(CDE, 2019c).

Chronic Absenteeism

This report provides a total count of cumulatively enrolled students who were eligible
to be considered chronically absent (Chronic Absenteeism Eligible Enrollment) and acount of students who were determined to be chronically absent (Chronic Absenteeism
Count). These two counts are used to determine the Chronic Absenteeism Rate (Chronic
Absenteeism Count divided by Chronic Absenteeism Eligible Enrollment) at the selected
entity for the selected population using the available filters. Students are determined
to be chronically absent if they were eligible to be considered chronically absent at the
selected level during the academic year, and they were absent for 10% or more of the days
they were expected to attend (CDE, 2019d).

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Research Methods

75

Graduation Data /UC/CSU
Readiness Rates

Graduation data for this report displays the four-year adjusted cohort graduation
rate (ACGR) by Race/Ethnicity or Program Subgroup for the selected year at the
selected reporting level (state and county) and the number of graduates who met
UC/CSU entrance requirements. The four-year ACGR is the number of students who
graduate from high school in four years with a regular high school diploma divided
by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class.
Student UC/CSU readiness is those cohort graduates who a local educational agency
determined met all the (a-g) requirements for admission to a University of California
or California State University school (CDE, 2019e).

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Research Methods

76

Appendix B

Interview
ProtocolEducator Demographic Information:
Educator Pseudonym:
Race/ethnicity:
Gender:
1. Please describe your position.
2. In what segment of educational services do you work with students andfamilies experiencing homelessness [e.g.. early childhood, K-12, Higher
education]?
3. In your role, do you count and/or identify students experiencing
homelessness?
4. If working at a school setting, how do you identify students and families
experiencing homelessness?
5. What is your understanding of homelessness?
6. In your role, what are the resources/services you provide to students andfamilies experiencing homelessness [e.g. transportation, housing references,
health and mental health support]?
7. Do you interact with a McKinney Vento liaison?
8. If students or families are in need of a service/resource you do not provide, do
you know who to refer them to?
9. Are you aware of resources/services outside of the educational space (ex:housing agencies, community centers, advocacy groups, etc)?
10. Share your expertise an thoughts around education promising practices you
are currently using and successes you are having in you work to support
homeless students?
11. Describe the challenges and barriers that may impede your ability to support
homeless students?
12. What resources and support do you need to assist you in better supporting
homeless students?
13. What recommendations do you have for educational leaders and local
government representatives to better support you in your role of providing
services/resources to families and students experiencing homelessness?

State of Crisis: Dismantling Student Homelessness in California

Interview Protocol

78Appendix C

GlossaryGlossary of Key Terms*
Homeless

Homeless Liaison

This term is used interchangeably with experiencing homelessness, un-housed, andhousing instability throughout the report. In addition, when referring to students
experiencing homelessness we are referencing homeless children and youth withfamilies, as well as unaccompanied homeless students. The former constitutes a more
substantial proportion of the homeless student population.
Within K-12 education, homeless liaisons are designated by Local Education Agencies(LEA’s), and must ensure that liaisons are able to carry out their duties. Homelessliaisons are based within county and district offices, and are typically not working
directly on school sites. In higher education, homeless liaisons are typically staffed oneach college campus.

LCAP (Local Control
Accountability Plan)

A key accountability requirement of the state’s Local Control Funding Formula(LCFF), the LCAP is a three-year plan, which every district and charter school must
create and update annually with input from the community. The LCAP is intended to
explain how the district will use state funds to improve educational outcomes for all
students based on eight state priorities, with special attention to high-needs students
for whom the district received additional money.

LCFF (Local Control
Funding Formula)

The Local Control Funding Formula, also known as LCFF, overhauls California’s
school finance system with a per-pupil base grant plus additional money for highneeds (low income, English learner, homeless and foster youth) students.
Signed into law on July 1, 2013, the Local Control Funding Formula, also known as
LCFF, overhauls California’s school finance system, replacing “revenue limits” andmost “categorical funds” with a per-pupil base grant plus additional money for highneeds (low income, English learner, homeless and foster youth) students.

LEA (Local Education
Agency)As defined by the federal government, LEAs are a public board of education or otherpublic authority within a state that maintains administrative control of public
elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or otherpolitical subdivision of a state. School districts and county offices of education
are both LEAs. Under the Local Control Funding Formula, charter schools are
increasingly treated as LEAs.

MVA (McKinneyVento Act)

McKinney-Vento Act (MVA)- The McKinney Vento Act serves as the primaryfederal policy designed to support the educational success of students experiencing
homelessness. MVA requires that all students experiencing homelessness age 21
and under, be afforded access to public education. Under the law, all school districts,
charters, states, and postsecondary institutions, when applicable, are required toremove barriers to enrollment, attendance, and educational success for students
experiencing homelessness. Most notably, MVA considers students living in a doubledup living situation due to economic hardship, loss of housing, natural disaster, or
living in a motel or hotel, as qualifying for homeless educational supports.
*Source: https://edsource.org/glossary
This is not a comprehensive list of all terms used in the report. These are a few of the terms used
extensively throughout the report.

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