One in eight: The prevalence of New York City student homelessness

If all of the students in New York City who experienced homelessness in the last five years had their own school district, it would be equivalent in size to the 20th largest school district in the United States and larger than the school districts of Boston and Seattle combined. As you watch the sidewalks fill with New York City public school students returning to the classroom this fall, consider that 1 of every 8 of those children is either currently homeless or has experienced homelessness in the past five years.

Students who ever experience homelessness in high school drop out at two times the city average; students who are currently housed but were formerly homeless were proficient at rates 40 percent lower than their low-income, never-homeless peers. It's time to place our focus not only on currently homeless students, but any student who has ever experienced homelessness. For these 127,000 children, it is not simply a matter of securing and maintaining stable housing. The setbacks homeless students experience due to chronic absenteeism, school transfers and emotional trauma are significant, and go well beyond the impact of poverty. We now know that these challenges continue to impede the achievement of formerly homeless students for years after they find stable housing.

New York City’s public education system must do better at meeting the needs of students impacted by homelessness, or we will not close the profound achievement gap. Homeless students should be as much a part of the conversation as students with disabilities or English language learners. We’ve already identified this vulnerable population; the ability to target resources and programs is already in our grasp.

The good news is that we now have actionable data to drive solutions. We know who and where these 127,000 students are; we have taken the first steps to explore the breadth and depth of how the trauma of homelessness affects them. For the first time, we can look at how the type of shelter impacts test scores, graduation rates and absenteeism. Teachers, principals, counselors and nurses are just some of the educators and caregivers who can better support these students when given proper information and resources. School and shelter programs already working to address the diverse needs of this population through after-school activities, the incorporation of trauma-informed practices, community schools and school health centers demonstrate the potential to better serve these children.

When 1 out of 8 students experience homelessness, on average at least three students in every New York City classroom has been homeless. In some school districts, that number is as high as 1 out of every 4 children, in some schools it is close to 1 out of every 2. Resource allocation must be driven by data – in just two school districts in the Bronx, encompassing Highbridge, Concourse, Fordham, Belmont and Bedford Park, there are over 21,000 current and formerly homeless students.

The impact of housing instability on children is still not entirely understood, but available data provides a solid starting point from which school administrators and educators can address or even reverse the impact of homelessness on children. New York City’s system must provide stronger support not only to those who may not know where they will sleep tonight, but also to students for whom the days of living in shelter or on a family member’s sofa are recent memories. With a more assertive effort to offer specific supports to these students, the stark achievement gap between housed and periodically homeless students can be closed, and we will be one step closer to all students achieving their full potential.

Jennifer Erb-Downward is principal policy analyst for the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness and lead researcher of On The Map: The Atlas of Student Homelessness in New York City.