As every year passes the homeless rate only increases and as of 2025 the homeless count is at a record high.
“Homelessness increased 18 percent, from 653,104 people…to 771,480 people during the 2024 PIT.” (Point In Time)
This is happening as a result of the affordability crisis and prices only rising in America.
Before you read this though, I need you to know that homelessness isn’t just the people who sleep on the streets or set up base camps under bridges.
Homelessness also counts as the following:
- Someone who has a house but is losing it very soon with no other resources to obtain housing
- Someone who is leaving an unstable home by choice and has no other housing
- While not always included in HUD’s definition of “literally homeless,” people staying temporarily in the homes of others due to economic hardship are often considered homeless under other definitions, such as the McKinney-Vento Act
If you don’t know what that is, sit down, let me school you real quick.
“The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that provides important educational rights and services to PreK-12 children and youth experiencing homelessness.” https://schoolhouseconnection.org/
This act and its rights are also extended to people staying in motels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to the lack of an adequate alternative.
These rights include free school lunch, school supplies/materials, tutoring, and transportation so that they can remain in their school of origin throughout the duration of their homeless episode.
That means, for example, if a student were to get evicted from their residence and had to live in one of the aforementioned situations defined as homeless under the act and had to move out of the district, the school would still be responsible for providing transportation for that student until they come back to that district after finding a stable home or until the end of the year if they decide to permanently stay out of the district but want to finish their year at their original school.
According to this website, one in 30 kids ages 13 to 17 will experience homelessness each year.
Think about how big your graduating class is. Now there very well could be kids in your school that you pass in the hallway that have no home or go back to a place with very little.
While it’s impossible for one person to take on the whole load to house, clothe, and feed every single person and child that needs it, it is possible for everyone to try and make a difference.
That’s why websites like these https://endhomelessness.org and https://nn4youth.org/ have been created so anyone from anywhere can help their cause to end poverty.
It’s also why organizations like the National Alliance to End Homelessness have been created to fund housing for communities that simply don’t have enough.
This isn’t a problem that has an easy fix or one idea that will house the entire homeless population.
This will take years of careful consistency to fix and if we can all help a little bit then we can bring up not only ourselves, but our communities as-well.
Also, if you or anyone you know are experiencing homelessness or anything mentioned in this article please contact Mrs Oesterling to find out how our school can help you.
