The growing crisis of homelessness among school-aged children in Philadelphia is becoming increasingly alarming, with recent data from the School District highlighting a significant rise in numbers over the past few years.
Between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 school years, the percentage of children identified as experiencing homelessness has surged from 1.9% to 3.1%.
These statistics, however, may still underestimate the actual figures, as many students find themselves in precarious living arrangements, such as couch surfing with friends or relatives, rather than in traditional shelters.
Shani Meacham, the vice president of Valley Youth House, an organization dedicated to aiding young individuals facing homelessness, explains how housing insecurity profoundly affects students’ ability to focus on their education.
“When you can’t think about where you’re going to sleep tonight, or if you have a roof over your head tonight, it’s very difficult to focus on the subject matter of what’s happening in the classroom,” she states.
Meacham highlights other external factors that disrupt the learning experience, including poverty, lack of access to clean clothing, and inadequate food, which can all adversely impact students’ performance and mental well-being.
According to recent reports, many of these homeless children live in ‘doubled up’ situations, meaning they share housing with other families.
Dennis Culhane, a professor of social policy at the University of Pennsylvania, notes that the Pennsylvania Department of Education adopts a broad definition of homelessness, which accounts for these ‘doubled up’ living arrangements.
“The Department of Education has its own definition for homelessness, which includes people who are living in an emergency ‘doubled up’ situation,” says Culhane.
He emphasizes the importance of this inclusion, stating that it ensures children are eligible for vital transportation support to get to their original schools.
The effects of homelessness on students go beyond housing; they interact with various barriers that hinder educational success.
Education advocacy group Children First asserts that these children often grapple with mental health issues compounded by financial struggles.
In response to these challenges, Valley Youth House provides emergency housing and supportive services for young individuals experiencing homelessness.
Alyssa Weinfurtner, the director of emergency services at the Philly chapter of Valley Youth House, elaborates on their housing programs, including ‘rapid rehousing’ and tenant-based rental assistance.
“We have three houses as well as close to 50 units of what we call rapid rehousing,” she explains.
In a unique approach, the organization incorporates the perspectives of peer advocates who have experienced homelessness themselves alongside professional case managers.
Additionally, Weinfurtner highlights the inclusion of an in-house therapist to address the mental health needs of these young individuals, offering low-barrier therapy and counseling services.
The program operates within nearly 25 schools, providing crucial support ranging from counseling to assistance in re-enrollment for students who have dropped out.
However, the struggles for children experiencing homelessness extend beyond housing.
Weinfurtner mentions the correlation between homelessness and educational struggles, including lower standardized test scores, higher truancy and suspension rates.
One of the primary barriers, she notes, is transportation, suggesting that the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act plays a critical role in addressing these obstacles.
This federal law helps to ensure that homeless children receive equal educational resources and support, including transportation to their school of origin.
Valley Youth House’s services complement the support offered through the McKinney-Vento Act, aiming to remove barriers to school attendance.
Meacham warns that the causes of poverty, such as job loss, chronic illness, and other life events, can further entrench families in insecurity and affect students’ mental health.
Culhane points out that homeless families often move to shelters or homes farther from their children’s original schools, creating instability that adversely impacts their well-being and scholastic performance.
“Kids end up acting out because they’re insecure and they don’t really have the kind of structure that would support them as students,” he says.
Furthermore, racial disparity plays a significant role in the prevalence of homelessness among families, especially in Philadelphia.
DeMarcus Jenkins, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, highlights that Black families make up a disproportionate percentage of homeless households.
“Of the more than 1.5 million students across the country who are experiencing homelessness, a significant portion of that is Black families,” Jenkins notes.
He emphasizes the intersection of housing segregation and school segregation, leading to inadequate resources for these families and their children.
Jenkins also critiques the lack of racial discussions in the McKinney-Vento Act, which prevents targeted solutions for specific populations.
The stigma surrounding homelessness can deter children from disclosing their situation to teachers or trusted adults, which Jenkins identifies as a particular concern for Black students.
“Students who experience homelessness are often hesitant to report that to the school teachers in districts due to fear of being reported to child protective services,” he explains, alluding to historical injustices faced by Black families.
Meacham describes the deep and enduring trauma caused by housing instability, which can impact a young person for years.
“We’ve had young people who showed up to us when they were 18, and we found out that they spent two years of high school living behind a dumpster, because they were afraid to let anybody know,” she has witnessed firsthand the traumatizing influence of homelessness on youths.
Jenkins reinforces the idea that homeless children often perform poorly academically, with nearly 70% of high school students experiencing homelessness performing below grade level on reading assessments, and around 80% in math.
Additionally, these students are nearly five times more likely to not graduate high school, further compounding the cycle of disadvantage that homelessness creates.
Their struggles with mental health and engagement in extracurricular activities delay their opportunities for growth and connection with their school communities.
These challenges don’t just stay within the school walls; they have lasting implications.
Jenkins points out that experiencing homelessness directly impacts students’ long-term well-being, their access to high-paying jobs, and their ability to achieve social mobility.
While the increasing numbers of homeless children in Philadelphia partly reflect improved identification efforts, Meacham is optimistic about the capacity for collaboration among various stakeholders to address these issues.
“So the number grows,” she explains, “But it’s not that it’s fully a new number. The number grows because we’re able to fully identify what the problem is and when.”
Weinfurtner emphasizes that solutions require sustained funding and a consistent delivery of services for these vulnerable students.
She notes that the discontinuation of certain partnerships and contracts could severely disrupt services currently in place.
“It’s also the consistency of the service piece for young people that is so important,” she asserts.
Furthermore, many young people are not officially recognized as experiencing homelessness, as they may be couch surfing or living in overcrowded conditions.
“80 percent of those youth and children are couch surfing, doubled up or overcrowded,” Weinfurtner states, underlining the critical need for more comprehensive homeless-prevention assistance.
Jenkins advocates for a proactive approach to resource allocation, particularly through the McKinney-Vento law, recognizing the disparity faced by schools in already underserved districts.
“What ends up happening is schools that are in districts that are already under-resourced or serving higher numbers of students experiencing homelessness don’t often have the resources to fully support these students,” he emphasizes.
Weinfurtner calls for increased data collection and research to better tailor support to students’ needs.
“It’s really an investment before the crisis happens, before somebody is on the street or needing to enter shelter,” she argues.
Culhane stresses that addressing housing affordability is a fundamental solution to stabilizing families.
“The key resource that most very low-income families need is assistance with their housing costs,” he explains, pointing to the need for federal housing subsidies as essential in reducing homelessness.
Despite the rising challenges, Meacham remains hopeful about the collaborative efforts among the School District, organizations, and government agencies.
“That level of coordination between the systems of understanding and needing to address this issue for the students of Philadelphia – I don’t think we’ve seen it quite to this extent in other areas of programming,” she reflects.
If all stakeholders can continue to work together to identify and address the complexities of housing instability among children, Meacham believes lasting solutions can emerge.
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