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…

Basic needs insecurity (BNI), or insufficient access to food or housing, is a problem in U.S. higher education (Broton et al., 2022). As college students continue to negotiate the fallout of COVID-19 and its lingering economic effects, it is vital to amplify BNI as a concerning problem for campus administrators invested in students' success…

Going to college creates a financial challenge for an increasing number of American students. The inadequacy of available financial aid and lack of wrap-around services make the possibility of college graduation increasingly challenging for former McKinney-Vento students. The purpose of this study was to explore the financial, socioemotional, and…

Approximately 1.3 million public school students in the United States were identified as experiencing some form of homelessness in 2019-20. Due to their unstable living situations, students experiencing homelessness often have additional educational, social, emotional, and material needs compared to their stably housed peers. Housing instability…

Almost 1.1 million students were reported as homeless by public school systems for the 2020-2021 school year. To ensure that youths experiencing homelessness (YEH) have the support to fully experience the learning opportunities of public school, this study sought to learn how school personnel understand YEH as well as the procedures and practices…

Education policies have too often ignored how conditions outside of school can alter life chances for young people, especially students of color, before they even reach the classroom. More recently, COVID-19 has made it impossible to overlook the needs of the whole child, both inside and outside of school. The authors assert that responding to a…

In this essay, I use the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 to define homelessness and describe its prevalence in United States public schools. I present readers with statistics about student homelessness and situate Gorski's equity literacy within the progressive, equity-oriented foundations of the middle school…

It is well demonstrated that basic needs insecurities (i.e., food insecurity, housing insecurity, or homelessness) are more pronounced among certain groups of historically marginalized students, including students of color at traditionally under-resourced Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCUs), Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs),…

Although the transition to adulthood after graduation can be difficult for any student, additional challenges remain for independent students. The authors define independent students as undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 24 who have no dependency on a parent or guardian, such as foster care alumni. It is important that higher education…

During the 2019-20 school year, public schools identified 1.3 million students who were experiencing homelessness--2.5 percent of all those enrolled. With the added $800 million that Congress provided in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan's Homeless Children and Youth program (ARP-HCY), many states have started or expanded initiatives to…

In Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state's largest school district, nearly 3,000 students don't know where they'll be sleeping each night. As parents or guardians move about, enrolling and re-enrolling in schools can become overwhelming--especially when there is no firm address to provide--so families often keep children out of school. This…

There is limited empirical evidence about educational interventions for students experiencing homelessness, who experience distinct disadvantages compared to their low-income peers. We explore how two school staffing interventions in New York City shaped attendance outcomes of students experiencing homelessness using administrative records from…

Before the start of the pandemic, Michigan's public schools identified 4,763 homeless youth living independent of parental support. These youth are homeless--living outside, in shelters, or bouncing from couch to couch. They are estranged from their parents, usually due to abuse, neglect, or parents' struggles with addiction, mental health…

This qualitative study examines the narratives of five homeless students attending 2 and 4-year colleges in the Greater Boston area. The study aims to understand students' experiences of homelessness and to explore how colleges might support their educational resilience. Students experiencing homelessness are defined as groups of persons that lack…

Homelessness among U.S. K-12 students has been on the rise for decades, and it shows no signs of slowing down, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to significant unemployment. Joseph Bishop describes findings from a study of student homelessness in California. Interviews with those experiencing homelessness and those who serve…