By National Alliance to End Homelessness

Over the course of the 2017-2018 school year, homeless school liaisons identified 1.5 million children living in doubled up situations due to economic necessity, in hotels or motels, in shelters or transitional housing, and in unsheltered locations.  Nearly 9 percent of identified students, 129,370, were living without a parent or guardian.

This represents an increase of 15 percent over the number of children identified by school liaisons over the 2015-2016 school . Increases in Texas alone accounted for over half of the national increase, may be partially explained by families displaced by Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.

The U.S. Department of Education relies on this data to understand the prevalence and educational support needs of children without homes to call their own. The report also provides useful information about the consequences of the nation’s failure to invest in affordable housing.

The report found:

  • Doubled Up. Nearly 1.12 million children lived in doubled up situations over the 2017-2018 school year (living with a friend or extended family to manage housing costs).
  • Shelter/Transitional Housing. Over the 2017-2018 school year, homeless school liaisons identified 182,659 children who resided in an emergency shelter or transitional housing or were awaiting a foster care placement.
  • Hotels/Motels. Homeless school liaisons identified just over 100,000 children residing in hotels/motels over the 2017-2018 school year.
  • Unsheltered. Homeless school liaisons identified over 100,000 children that experienced unsheltered homelessness over the 2017-2018 school year. This is an increase of 137 percent in the number of unsheltered children identified by school liaisons over the 2015-2016 school year.

Read the full article about the education consequences of America's affordable housing crisis by Sharon McDonald at National Alliance to End Homelessness.