Many Homeless Children and Families in the United States are Still Invisible | First Focus

Many Homeless Children and Families in the United States are Still Invisible | First Focus:

Many Homeless Children and Families in the United States are Still Invisible

By Cara Baldari

November 22, 2013

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released new data indicating that 222,197 people in families were homeless as of January 2013, a 7.2 percent decrease since 2012. In addition, HUD identified 46, 924 unaccompanied children and youth.

However, we know these numbers greatly underestimate the problem, and do not include millions of children and families that are not captured by HUD’s Point in Time count. These homeless children and families are living in transient situations – such as a friend or relative’s couch, or in a motel, and are not included in HUD’s count because either HUD programs, such as emergency or transitional shelters, are full, or they are not deemed eligible by HUD for these programs or services.

To drive this point home, the Department of Education recently reported that there were 1,168,354 homeless students enrolled by U.S. preschools and K-12 schools in the 2011-2012 school year, which is the highest number on record and represents a 10 percent increase over the previous school year. Approximately 80 percent of the children identified by the Department of Education are not counted in the HUD data.

Under federal law, school districts are required to immediately enroll homeless children and youth. The law also requires that, when in his or her best interest, schools ensure that homeless students can stay in the same school when forced to move. Every school district must also