Current State

Current State

The link between interrupted high school education and homelessness is undeniable for youth and young adults. According to Voices of Youth Count, youth with less than a high school diploma or GED are 364% more likely to experience homelessness than their peers who completed high school, (1) making it the strongest risk indicator for future homelessness. And according to a national survey of youth who no longer attend school, 87% had experienced homelessness. (2)

For Black youth, this connection is even more daunting, with Black youth being disproportionately represented in youth homelessness (3) and in school discipline/suspension rates. (4) And for those that do face suspension, they are less likely to graduate high school or college and more likely to face incarceration. (5) This pipeline from schools to prison and the risk it causes for future homelessness is deeply rooted in the systemic racism woven into all of our major systems. This is no coincidence; it is a product of systemic racism across the education and homeless response system. Despite recent research showing the connection between disrupted education and homelessness, we are still missing key opportunities to offer assistance. A 2016 national study found that over 60% of youth students experiencing homelessness were never connected to assistance outside of the school system. (6)

Students experiencing homelessness in high school also face barriers in accessing financial aid needed to make higher education obtainable - relying on under-resourced school systems or housing programs to verify their homelessness for federal student aid. (7) And for those that make it into a 2 or 4 year school for higher education, there are still many housing hurdles. #RealCollege survey, the nation’s largest, longest-running annual assessment of basic needs insecurity among college students found that 46% of students were housing insecure in the last school year and 17% had experienced homelessness. (8)