When coming out as gay leads to homelessness, By Krista Ramsey, September 27, 2014, Cincinnati Enquirer: “Dedrick Hall was 17 when he acknowledged to himself that he was bisexual. When he shared his identity with friends, classmates at Elder High School and his two sisters, he found support. Or, at least, acceptance. Then he told his mother. ‘She just didn’t approve at all. She was very upset about the situation. She said, ‘You can’t stay at my house any more. You have to find someplace else to go…'”
Tag: Homeless children
Student Homelessness in the US
- Record number of homeless children enrolled in US public schools, By Amanda Paulson, September 23, 2014, Christian Science Monitor: “A record number of homeless students were enrolled in US public schools last year, according to new numbers released Monday by the Department of Education. The data – which most experts say underreport the actual number of homeless children in America – showed that nearly 1.3 million homeless children and teens were enrolled in schools in the 2012-13 school year, an 8 percent increase from the previous school year…”
- Record number of public school students nationwide are homeless, By Lyndsey Layton, September 22, 2014, Washington Post: “A record number of homeless children and teens were enrolled in public school last year, according to data released Monday by the federal government. Elementary and secondary schools reported that 1.3 million students were homeless during the 2012-2013 year, an 8 percent jump from the prior year. Most of those students — 75 percent — were living doubled up in the home of a friend or a relative, according to the government. Sixteen percent were living in homeless shelters, 6 percent in hotels or motels, and 3 percent had no shelter…”
Foster Youth and High School Graduation
Colorado foster care youth less likely to graduate than homeless kids, By Eric Gorski, September 14, 2014, Denver Post: “Each morning before school, Latisha Alvarado Barrington and her younger brother packed an extra set of clothes in their backpacks because they were unsure where they would sleep that night. Often, they would not want to go at all for fear of being taken again. Latisha guarded her identity as a foster child. She was fearful of the stigma as she bounced among a dozen placements, at times because her foster parents thought she was too much to handle. The despair of falling behind caused her to lay her head on the desk and think of school as pointless. Public officials and child advocates in Colorado have long known that students in foster care lag behind academically but have lacked the data to quantify it, a necessary step for finding solutions…”