Reitz Journalism

If you are homeless, help is available!

A recent study reported that across the nation an average of three percent of all students are homeless. At Reitz, that would translate into about 40 students.
On the surface that number seems too large, but according to those that provide services to homeless students, that number is pretty close to being accurate.
It is really a matter of definition, and that is not necessarily the easiest thing to qualify.
The problem of homelessness is a national problem, but it is seen locally, as when people drive down the street and see a group of obviously homeless people or when approached by someone asking for a handout. But when it comes to the student population, it is not as easy to see. From those that do a good job of hiding it to those that are falling through the cracks, homelessness among students is a difficult problem to address.
Homelessness was first recognized as a significant problem throughout the United States in the 1980s, caused mostly by cuts in federal aid for housing and income, and by a weak economy. During the boom times of the 1990s, the problem seemed to lose the attention of the country as times were good and plenty of people and organizations were willing to help. Now, as the economy continues its recent downward spiral, the problem is coming back into the national spotlight.
But what is the real definition of homeless? It is easy to say the guy living under the Pigeon Creek bridge is homeless, but what about some of the kids in the schools that are living with their friends or moving from one home to another?
There are in fact two important elements when it comes to classifying a person, especially a youth, as homeless.
The official definition, as outlined by the federal McKinney Vento Act, says an individual is homeless when they do not have a bed of their own in a permanent, fixed, nighttime residence.
Take the youth living in a shelter with their family. Because they don’t have a home to go back to, they would be considered homeless. This is an easy example to classify.
But those youth that are living with their friends, moving from one friend to another or between different relatives also meet the qualifications of the McKinney Vento Act. They are staying in a home, under a roof, but they don’t have a fixed, permanent place to call their own; they don’t have their own bed to go to at night.
There are many factors that go into a student being labeled as homeless. In 2006, 28 students came to the EVSC and were identified as homeless, but only because they were Katrina evacuees. They fit the definition and therefore were entitled to services from the EVSC.
The problem of homelessness is complicated not only by the definition, but by the fact that many homeless youth don’t want to be found. If these youth were classified, many would be turned over to the juvenile system or to the Indiana Department of Child Protective Services.
The National Network of Families and Youth Services has created five categories of homeless youth to make the job of identifying and delivering services easier. They include runway youth, throwaway youth, homeless youth, systems youth, and street youth.
Runaways are youth who have left their living quarters but, in theory, could go back home. Often these youth have made the decision that led to their homelessness. That does not diminish their position, but it does make it difficult to provide for these students. Runaways often do not want to be identified and will many times resist offers of help, fearing that they will just be sent back to their home or put into the state system.
Throwaway youth are just the exact opposite. Their parents have kicked them out, or made it impossible for them to continue living there.
Youth that fall into this category will resist efforts to help or counsel them as they have developed a distrust of adults, seeing that their parents have abandoned them. They also fear that anyone trying to counsel them is only interested in convincing them to return home and work things out instead of addressing their personal needs for survival.
Homeless students are truly homeless, having left the home to try it on their own and failing, leaving them with nowhere else to turn. These students have to make it on their own because they were stuck in a dysfunctional family or their family, due to a whole host of problems (often homelessness), is spread out in different homes or shelters.
Those youth that were receiving some sort of service through group homes or institutions and have aged out of the system can sometimes land outside of the safety net of the welfare system. When they do, they are classified as system youth. They have bounced out of the welfare system but not into a regular home setting.
The saddest case of homeless youth is the street youth. For whatever reason the social welfare system has failed them and they have nowhere to go. They land on the streets, fending for themselves. Usually street youths tend to get involved in the street culture atmosphere. They may sometimes go from home to home for a while or spend short amounts of time in jail or shelters, but they have become so used to the street life and culture that they know no other way of life.
The definitions are based on the reason they are homeless, but putting them into these classifications makes it easier to provide them with the specific services they will need.
“The hardest groups of individual people to track down tend to be the ones who are literally on the streets, runways or throwaways,” said Barbara Bennett, EVSC Supervisor of Family and Consumer Sciences as well as the coordinator of federal programs that address the needs of homeless students.
These are the students, according to Bennett, that are not coming to school and therefore are not being identified by school officials.
“The teachers are legally obligated to report any homelessness occurrence and the social worker, counselors and even friends can report any situation and help children.” Said Cathlin Gray, Assistant Superintendent of Family, School and Commmunity Partnerships.
With at least one million youths in the United States either living on the streets or in shelters and thousands more leaving juvenile justices, mental health facilities, and leaving foster care systems, school are going to have to face the problem that is continuing to grow.
According to Aurora, a homeless outreach organization in Evansville, there are approximately 400 homeless people every night in this city.
According to the Congressional Research Service, it is difficult to come up with an exact number of homeless youth in America.
“The precise number of homeless and runaway youth is unknown due to their residential mobility and overlap among the populations. Determining the number of these youth is further complicated by the lack of a standardized methodology for counting the population and inconsistent definitions of what it means to be homeless or a runaway. Estimates of the homeless youth population range from 52,000 to over one million. Estimates of runaway youth — including “throwaway” youth — are between 1 million and 1.7 million,” a 2007 Congressional Research Service report said.
The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, an office within the US Department of Justice, is the federal agency responsible for counting the number of homeless youth. That office reported in their last survey in 2002 that the number of homeless youth, including throwaways and runaways, was 1.7 million.
Their report went on to say that the number were evenly split between male and female youth and that the vast number of homeless youth were between the ages of 15 and 17.
“It is more of an issue then we have ever known it to be,” said YouthFirst social worker Laura Edwards. “It mostly will increase of because of the economy.”
Bennett, as the person responsible in the EVSC for overseeing all services given to homeless youth, agrees, saying that the problem is only going to continue to grow.
“Just four years ago we only had 103 students all over town that were identified of being homeless, almost a double fold of today,” Bennett said.
The dramatic increase in these numbers is astounding because of the better understanding to identify the youths who are homeless.
“On any given day in Evansville, any shelter can have up to 400 people, 30 percent tend to be children,” said Bennett.
Those numbers are growing as economic times in the United States are tightening, and that is translating to an increased need that needs to be met by the EVSC.
“Just last year, in 2006, we were faced with the disturbing fact that there were 362 students in all of EVSC, kindergarten though seniors, that were under the definition homeless,” said Bennett.
That compares to just 108 homeless students just three years before.
Being labeled as homeless qualified them for services from the EVSC, according to Bennett. But this year the numbers are trending higher.
“So far this school year, we have identified over 300 students,” Bennett said.
Part of the reason for the increase over the past two years is that the school is doing a better job of finding these students.
“We are working with frontline agencies and they are helping us,” Bennett said. “But we have been training our principals and counselors on how to recognize the signs of homelessness.”
Bennett also credits the placement of social workers in the schools for the improvement in identifying these students in need.
“When it is brought to my attention, that a student is homeless I met with the student to assist the situation I want to find out the finical circumstances,” said Edwards. “I try and met with them and provide them a safe environment, having everything they need and giving them emotional support.”
The federal McVinney Vento Act outlines many of the services that schools have to offer. These provisions are in addition to any that are offered locally, such as the clothing assistance and counseling offered here at Reitz.
One of the most important provisions in McKinney Vento is transportation to school. This is seemingly an obvious accommodation, but the rationale behind it is very important.
By providing transportation to a student’s school, no matter where they are currently living, the student is not denied the right to go to school and provides several valuable supports.
“Providing transportation gives continuity,” said Bennett.
Many times when a student’s family is homeless, they are living away from the school they were attending. Normally in the EVSC, when a family moves, they would be reassigned to the attendance district that they moved into. But homeless families didn’t necessarily want to change schools and McKinney Vento protects them from an unnecessary and potentially disruptive relocation.
By providing transportation for an individual back to their original school rather then a new school, it gives the student a sense of security and a familiar atmosphere during some very rough family times.
Take for an example, a student is told to leave their home by their mom or dad, consider a throwaway youth, where do they have to go? Can they still go to the same school, and feel comfortable enough to continue going? Or will they be forced to switch schools, and start all over, feeling uncomfortable? Which could cause a student to drop out.
However by providing transportation from your new residence back to your original school, it gives a student the sense of comfort. To have potential to continue though out high school, and not be disruptive any more than they are in their environment.
Other services are offered at EVSC and Reitz, in own school, we have children everyday asking Edwards for her assistance and asking her advice in current personal situations. It is her job to inform the parents and give services to anyone needed.
“I call the parents once informed, if appropriate, and offer my services to them by providing them local recourses.”
Though her context, Edward can put a student in contact with a local agency that might be able to provide anything from clothing and school supplies to emergency housing, to counseling services.
“Depending on what they tell me, their needs are what I work with, and I try and meet their needs of the family and student.” Said Edwards.
Edwards and the other school counselors might be the first contact for a homeless student, but in the end all cases go though the EVSC. Once the EVSC is contacted more recourses become open for the student in need.
“I usually call Barbara Bennett, and report the student as homeless. If the student is in the a personal need, I will be sent a voucher for Target and I go personally with the student or family to shop with them.” Said Edwards.
Do not think you are alone. There are services that can be easily contacted with, to help you.

If you are
If you arebelieve you have nowhere to live or about to lose your home Evansville homeless commission may have responsibility to find you an alternative accommodation.
The network of the homeless commission across Evansville provides advice, and information for all any homeless individual. Providing school supplies, transportation, and school expenses are the simple deeds that the school social worker can do yet alone.
While with more serious conditions they can provide a nighttime residence, places such as YMCA or at the Rescue Mission.
“Either way, you are not alone instead of rescinding at your permanent nightmare home, you can at anytime be obligated by child services or legal services to find a better home, or if not able to, another service can provide you with the needed help.” Said Barbara Bennett.