The purpose of Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (2015) is to protect the educational rights of students experiencing homelessness across the United States. Despite the coordinated efforts of State and Local Educational Agencies to carry out these mandates and ensure equitable…

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California's cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on parenting students' experiences with housing.

Because housing instability can make it difficult for students to attend school, students experiencing homelessness (SEH) may become chronically absent. For this reason, SEH have lower graduation rates than their housed counterpants. Germany's second-chance schools give students an opportunity to catch up on their learning so they can take final…

Youth between ages 13 and 25 who experience homelessness face numerous barriers to excellent health, including social stigma and discrimination. Applying socio-ecological model and intersectionality theory, an integrative literature review was conducted. Peer-reviewed studies (N = 29) representing 808,296 participants extracted from four databases…

Purpose: The study aimed to understand the perspectives of students in college who were homeless. The research question guiding this inquiry was: How do young adults describe their experience of being homeless while in college? Method: Qualitative research using a phenomenological approach guided this descriptive inquiry. Interviews were held with…

Campus support programs (CSPs) in higher education institutions seek to address the barriers encountered by students who experienced foster care or homelessness (SEFC/H). This mixed methods study of a CSP at Florida State University examined the SEFC/H's service use and students' perceptions of the CSP to better understand student experiences.…

The 2017 general comment (GC21) to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on children in street situations, provides a framework of legal guidance for governments developing policies aimed at protecting street-connected children and sets up the rationale for more awareness raising and public education to counter negative…

Couch hopping is a significant feature of youth homelessness in the United States. Every year, half of youth ages 18 to 25 who experience housing instability report couch hopping--also known as couch surfing or doubling up. Emerging work suggests that in some intergenerational informal hosting arrangements, youth and their adult hosts can form…

Approximately 9% of students who attend 4-year colleges and community colleges have experienced homelessness at some time during their undergraduate years. Researchers have primarily focused on the negative effects of homelessness of these students related to academic success. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to investigate…

Emerging research suggests autistic people are disproportionately represented in homeless populations. Less is known about how autistic people experience homelessness and what prevents them from exiting homelessness. This article presents findings from a narrative enquiry investigating the link between autism and homelessness. Ten autistic adults…

This PACER brief provides RFA's updated analysis of data on students experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania, highlighting prevalence, challenges with identification, disparities in educational opportunities, and impact on academic outcomes. Our main findings include that: (1) Roughly 2% of students in Pennsylvania were identified as…

This qualitative study explored the needs and experiences of college students who have aged out of the foster care system and facing housing instability at a large public institution. The study explores the participants' pre-college experiences and college journey to identify challenges they faced, sources of support, and unmet needs impacting…

There have now been fifteen years of research on the basic needs of college students in the U.S. The studies have primarily focused on assessing the prevalence of food and housing insecurity. Determining who is responsible and finding solutions have been less emphasized. The scholarship has also not framed the problems of students' basic needs…

For youth separated from their parents or guardians because of a disaster, school provides a stable and secure environment, offering structure and supports to help them overcome the trauma they have experienced and regain their academic, social, and emotional footing. Therefore, schools and school districts or local educational agencies (LEAs) and…

In order to thrive in college, students need general good health, sufficient energy, the capacity to focus on their studies, and the chance to actively participate in classes. Stress related to financial matters and mental health issues can disrupt the essential dynamics that contribute to achieving academic success. This brief examines data from…