Research from the University of Michigan reveals new insights into how school districts utilized their portion of $800 million in pandemic relief funds, specifically allocated for the education of children and youth encountering homelessness.

The investigators discovered that districts most adept at recognizing students experiencing homelessness implemented a housing survey at the beginning of each school year and whenever a guardian or educator reported a change in a student’s living situation.

The results provide distinctive perspectives on which approaches are most efficient for educational institutions nationwide in identifying and assisting students facing homelessness.

In 2020, the tally of students that schools recognized as homeless plummeted significantly, despite unprecedented unemployment rates and heightened difficulties throughout the nation as the economy came to a halt due to the pandemic. The transition to online learning hindered schools’ ability to identify who was experiencing homelessness, complicating efforts to stay connected with these families and students, according to the findings.

Research conducted by Poverty Solutions at U-M and SchoolHouse Connection highlighted this pattern and influenced the distribution of an additional $800 million for school services for homelessness in the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. The American Rescue Plan-Homeless Children and Youth funds enormously expanded the number of school districts across the nation that received dedicated funding to identify and aid children encountering homelessness.

“Identifying when students are facing homelessness is the crucial initial step in equipping those students with resources to ensure they can fully engage in school, as mandated by federal regulations. An increase in the number of students recognized as homeless isn’t inherently negative. It’s more concerning if students without stable housing go unobserved and unsupported,” commented Jennifer Erb-Downward, director of housing stability programs and policy initiatives at Poverty Solutions at U-M.

Erb-Downward co-authored a policy brief suggesting methods for schools to better identify students encountering homelessness based on discussions with 18 school homelessness liaisons in New York. The research was backed by SchoolHouse Connection and the New York State Education Department.

To gain deeper insights into how schools allocated the funds and what facilitated their success in identifying students facing homelessness, researchers from Poverty Solutions organized school districts in New York—excluding New York City—based on the number of students they identified as experiencing homelessness. They contacted school homelessness liaisons across three categories of districts:

• Districts with effective identification, meaning they were in the top quartile for the percentage of students recognized as experiencing homelessness.
• Districts with poor identification, characterized by a high child poverty rate but identifying fewer students as experiencing homelessness compared to the statewide average.
• Districts with no identification, meaning the district failed to recognize any students as experiencing homelessness and had an enrollment of over 1,000 students. It is highly improbable for a district to not have any students facing homelessness, indicating a failure in their identification system.

Training bus drivers to collaborate with school homelessness liaisons and to identify students lacking stable housing was another vital aspect.

“Bus drivers frequently are the first to note if students do not arrive at their typical pick-up spot or when families may be dropping off children at their usual stop but no longer seem to be residing there,” stated John Bulat, data and policy analyst at Poverty Solutions and co-author of the policy brief.

Building trust is essential for school homelessness liaisons among partner organizations and with families, who often fear disclosing their lack of stable housing, the researchers observed.

“School homelessness liaisons given permission to utilize ARP-HCY funds for flexible monetary assistance for families, like gas cards and store gift cards, emphasized the significance of such interactions. Offering direct support to families fostered communication and trust,” noted William Lopez, a clinical associate professor of health behavior and health equity and senior advisor at Poverty Solutions, who also contributed to the policy brief.

The researchers observed the following patterns in how school districts organized their homelessness services:

• Smaller districts with effective identification of students facing homelessness typically have a high-ranking administrator serving as the homelessness liaison, dedicated to training all staff levels on spotting signs of homelessness.
• Larger school districts with effective identification have a network of individuals at each school, supported by a senior district administrator, actively participating in identification and outreach.
• School districts with lower identification rates often have homelessness liaisons assuming multiple roles and lacking the authority to create a supportive network across the district.
• Among districts that recognized no students facing homelessness, even basic contact information for a homelessness…
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