NYC homeless student population tops 100K for 4th consecutive year

New York City’s homeless student population reached above 100,000 for the fourth consecutive year, according to a report released Monday. 

Advocates for Children (AFC) of New York reported that 114,085, about 1 in 10 students, were designated homeless in the 2018–2019 school year, according to data analyzed from the New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students. More than 34,000 students live in homeless shelters, and more than 73,000 live in temporary housing situations with family, friends or others.

{mosads}The number of students identified as homeless in the city has risen more than 70 percent in the last 10 years. This year’s numbers were a half a percentage point decrease from the 2017–2018 school year’s totals.

“This problem is immense. The number of New York City students who experienced homelessness last year—85 percent of whom are Black or Hispanic—could fill the Barclays Center six times,” AFC Executive Director Kim Sweet said in the release. “The City won’t be able to break the cycle of homelessness until we address the dismal educational outcomes for students who are homeless.”

Reports show that being homeless affects a child’s ability to be successful in school. Less than a third of students living in shelters reach reading proficiency levels, which is 20 percentage points under students with permanent housing situations. About 57 percent of homeless students graduate in the city, which puts them at risk to experience homelessness as an adult, according to the release.

AFC did recognize steps the city has taken to combat homelessness by placing more social workers and community coordinators in schools, providing bus services to and from shelters, boosting the number of homeless children in pre-K and providing after-school reading programs at some shelters.