Homeless students on increase in Toledo-area classrooms, schools say

from the Toledo Blade

By ANGIE SCHMITT

Josh Fowler may not have understood fully the gravity of the situation when he and his mother found themselves homeless, again, last year.

For 7-year-old Josh, being homeless meant a 40-minute ride on a city bus to and from his school. It meant two moves while his mother, Karen, 40, underwent a second stint in drug treatment. It meant sharing a bedroom with his mother and sharing his toys with unfamiliar children at Aurora House, a transitional home for women on Toledo's north side.

Meanwhile, the kindergartner was trying to absorb the basics of reading and math at East Side Central Elementary.

Initially, his grades suffered.

"It was always hard to struggle with consistency," Ms. Fowler said. "I was not able to parent him the way I should have."

As a housing crisis rages and the economy slumps, more students are finding themselves in the situation Josh did - and the experience could have lasting effects on the students' academic progress, researchers say.

As many as 2 million children nationwide, including 68,500 in Ohio and 65,700 in Michigan, are expected to be affected by the housing crisis as an anticipated 2.2 million homes purchased with subprime mortgages slide into foreclosure this year and next, according to First Focus, a nonprofit child and family advocacy group.

The Ohio Department of Education recorded a 12 percent increase in student homelessness between the 2005-2006 school year and 2006-2007 - the last year for which statistics were available, Tom Dannis, the state's homeless coordinator, said. A total of 13,610 Ohio school children had experienced homelessness at some point during the year - an increase of more than 1,500, Mr. Dannis said.

"It's our impression that there may continue to be an increase," he said, pointing to new state figures that will be released next month. "We're seeing an increase generally in many areas."

Homeless children, as defined by federal law, include runaways; victims of fires or floods; those who live in shelters, hotels, campgrounds, or cars, and those who are doubled up with friends or family.

"Poverty issues are one of the main causes, but a breakdown in the family, youth runaways, and even a house fire, these are all common reasons students become homeless," said Nick Bates, youth advocacy program coordinator with the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. "People have these perceptions [about the homeless] and don't recognize that families and youth are a large portion of that population."

Michigan is projecting a 16 percent rise in its homeless rolls as well, according to preliminary figures for last year, said Sam Sinicropi, a consultant for the Michigan Department of Education. An estimated 18,020 Michigan school children were without a permanent home at some point during the last school year - an increase of more than 2,500 over 2006-2007, he said.

Economic factors
Officials in Ohio and Michigan say school districts are getting better at identifying homeless students. Economic factors are playing a role in the increase as well, Mr. Sinicropi said.

"The economy in Michigan is not strong," he said. "We have people that are being affected by that, obviously."

Urban and rural districts alike are reporting rising rates of homelessness, said Angela Lariviere, youth advocacy director with the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing.

"Some districts say they're expecting 10 percent increases this year, if not higher," Ms. Lariviere said. "The housing crisis is what's going to make the biggest impact."

Tracking the problem
Toledo Public Schools reported its homeless population nearly tripled from the 2005-2006 school year to the 2006-2007 school year. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has reported 2,300 homeless students in 2007-2008, a 60 percent increase from state figures from the previous year.

When Toledo began monitoring its homeless population five years ago, 90 students were identified, said Emilio Ramirez, the former homeless coordinator for Toledo Public Schools. During the 2006-2007 year, the number had reached 641.

"Each year, it goes up," Mr. Ramirez said. "Part of it is our tracking [gets better], but I know part of it is the economy."

Mr. Ramirez reports as much as 80 percent of the homeless population is staying temporarily with friends or relatives. The remaining portion lives in the city's seven shelters, cars, or motels, he said.

A wide-ranging issue
Fostoria Community Schools, 40 miles southeast of Toledo, is one of the 20 districts in Ohio, including Toledo, to receive federal grant money to address homelessness within the district.

Since the district began monitoring homelessness in 2006, Fostoria has seen the number of documented cases increase from three to 83, said Rachelle Griffin, the district's homeless liaison.

Some of the district's homeless residents have been victims of a fire or flooding, she said. Most are living with grandparents or aunts and uncles until their family's financial situation is under control.

In Adrian Public Schools in Michigan, the homeless population is on the rise as well, said Chris Timmis, the district's new superintendent.

"Every year we see an increase," he said. "We have a lot of parents that are struggling, they're struggling to help themselves."

Most "homeless" students in Adrian don't fit the stereotype, he said.

"They have somewhere to go every night, but it's not their own home," Mr. Timmis said, "so stability is an issue for them.

"They're good kids, they're just not getting the right breaks," he said.

Addressing the problem
As a result of a 1987 federal law called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, school districts are required to accept students claiming to be homeless without the traditional prerequisites: proof of residency, a birth certificate, and school records. The law also requires that homeless students be afforded all the services available to other students, such as after-school care, transportation, and free and reduced-price lunches, if they qualify. Each district also must appoint a "homeless liaison" to ensure compliance with the law and oversee support programs.

Toledo used the $165,000 it received last year through McKinney-Vento funding to offer homeless students one-on-one tutoring, assistance with supplies, and free city bus fare so they could avoid changing schools, Mr. Ramirez said.

Without a birth certificate, John Hammond, Jr., 10, was able to enroll immediately in Toledo Public Schools after his mother had fled a troubled relationship in Seattle and three months ago moved to Toledo to be near family. In addition, the district used its grant money to provide transportation for the fifth grader to go from the Beach House family shelter in North Toledo to Reynolds Elementary School on Norwich Road.

"It just really took a lot of stress off me," his mother, Arkeisha Brandon, 38, said.

Prior to the law, children could be denied access to school until the proper paperwork could be obtained. As a result, students might miss weeks of school. For older students, it could jeopardize their graduation, Ms. Lariviere said.

In Adrian, another grant recipient, the money was used, among other things, to help find housing for an 18-year-old boy with special needs who was evicted by his foster family midway through his senior year, Mr. Timmis said.

"We were able to find him somewhere to live - and he graduated," Mr. Timmis said.

A matter of obstacles
Homeless students face a host of special obstacles that can interfere with their studies, Mr. Ramirez said.

"The teachers, they're sending Johnny down complaining he doesn't have his homework," Mr. Ramirez said. Only later does he realize: "This kid hasn't eaten.

"They don't have their books, they don't have a computer. They don't have the amenities that you normally have in a residence," Mr. Ramirez said. "You need love, shelter, before you can get to the educational part, and these kids are still working on shelter."

Adding to the strife, many students' descent into homelessness involves at least one school change, Mr. Ramirez said.

Residential changes can reduce the chances a child will graduate from high school by 50 percent, according to First Focus.

The National Center on Family Homelessness reports that nationally, 48 percent of homeless students in grades 3 through 12 were proficient in reading. Only 43 percent were considered proficient in math. Additionally, more than 1 in 3 homeless students will repeat a grade, the center reports. Behavioral problems are common.

Gauging the effects
John Buckner, a child psychologist at Harvard Medical School who has spent 20 years researching the effects of homelessness on children, said the McKinney-Vento Act has improved homeless students' performance by improving access to school. With the proper response from the school district and community, many homeless students can perform academically, and many do, he said.

"Children who experience a lot of stress - sure, that can impact school performance and behavior," he said. "If their school experience is still pretty routine, I think kids can be OK."

In a study Mr. Buckner conducted, homeless students who had strong parental supervision and "self-regulation" skills, such as impulse control, organization, and attention, were often able to keep pace with their peers.

"It's hard to make really stereotypical claims about all homeless kids," he said. "There are kids who are having really specific difficulties and kids who are not."

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