People Need Education.
-Education prevents homelessness by providing opportunities for people to obtain livable income jobs.
-Children need to go to school.

(click here to download factsheet in .pdf format)

The number of children and youth experiencing homelessness is increasing.

• The number of children and youth in homeless situations (PreK-12) identified by State Departments of Education increased from approximately 841,700 in 1997 to 930,200 in 2000 (U.S. Department of Education, 2000).
• The Urban Institute estimates that an estimated 1.35 million children will experience homelessness over the course of a year (Urban Institute, 2000).
• Preschool and elementary age children comprise the largest numbers of children experiencing homelessness reported by the State Departments of Education (U.S. Department of Education, 2000).

Children and youth experiencing homelessness face barriers to school enrollment, attendance, and success.

• Transportation to and from school, as well as to and from before- and after-school activities, remains the biggest barrier for children and youth in homeless situations (U.S. Department of Education, 2000).
• Children and youth experiencing homelessness often do not have the documents ordinarily required for school enrollment. Domestic violence, natural disasters, evictions and unstable living situations can make it impossible for parents to retain documents. As a result, many districts still turn away children and youth from a new school until these issues are resolved (U.S. Department of Education, 2000).
• Many children and youth experiencing homelessness are unable to participate in federal and State programs due to challenges created by high mobility (U.S. Department of Education, 2000).
• Only 15% of preschool children identified as homeless by State Departments of Education were enrolled in preschool programs in 2000 (U.S. Department of Education, 2000). In comparison, 57% of low-income preschool children participated in preschool in 1999 (National Center for Education Statistics, 1999).

Federal legislation protecting the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness was greatly strengthened in 2001, but Congress has not adequately funded state and local efforts to implement the legislation.

• The recently reauthorized McKinney-Vento Act requires school districts to stabilize children in their original schools, including providing transportation so they can continue their education without disruption; it also requires that children experiencing homelessness be immediately enrolled in school if they are moving to a new school.
• The McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program provides financial grant assistance to states and local school districts to implement provisions guaranteeing school access and stability. Funds are used to help schools provide and coordinate critical services such as identification, enrollment assistance, school supplies, and transportation.
• Congress appropriated $55 million for the EHCY program in FY2003; this number is $15 million less than the current authorized amount of $70 million.

Education prevents homelessness by helping people obtain jobs with higher wages and benefits.

• A woman with a high school degree earns barely over the poverty line for a family of three. This is, on average, half as much as a woman with a bachelor's degree (National Urban League Report, June 2002).

sources

Education Elements of the Bringing America Home Campaign include:

1. Reauthorization of the Head Start Act
   Preschool-age children experiencing homelessness often face unique barriers to enrolling and succeeding in preschool. NCH recommends revisions to the Head Start program that will remove barriers to the full participation of children experiencing homelessness and increase their access to appropriate services.
2. Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
   The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides students with disabilities with a wide array of substantive and procedural rights. In the upcoming reauthorization of IDEA, NCH recommends revisions that will ensure children in homeless situations are able to access the services and procedural rights that IDEA provides.

Sources:

National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1999. Available at nces.ed.gov.

National Urban League. National Urban League Institute for Opportunity and Equality, June 2002. Available for download for a charge at www.nul.org.

U.S. Department of Education. Education for Homeless Children and Youth Report to Congress, 2000, www.ed.gov.

Urban Institute, The. A New Look at Homelessness in America. February 01, 2000. Available from the Urban Institute, 2100 M Street, N.W. / Washington, DC 20037 or on the website at www.urban.org.